PS 

2649 

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1922 

MAIN 


O.  Henry 
Papers 


DOUBLEDAY, 

PAGE  &  Co. 


O.  HENRY 

PAPERS 


CONTAINING  SOME  SKETCHES 

OF  HIS  LIFE  TOGETHER  WITH 

AN  ALPHABETICAL  INDEX  TO 

HIS  COMPLETE  WORKS 


THE  NEW  REVISED  EDITION 


Published  at 
Country  Life  Press 

DOUBLEDAY,  PAGE  &  COMPANY 
GARDEN  CITY  NEW  YORK 


The  last  photograph  of  O.  Henry,  taken  by  W.  M.  Vander- 
weyde  (New  York)  in  1909 


O.  HENRY 

(Died  June  5,  1910) 

Five  years  .  ...  the  pencil  and  the  yellow  pad 
Are  laid  away.     Our  changes  run  so  swift 
That  many  newer  pinnacles  now  lift 
Above  the  old  four  million  he  made  glad. 
But  still  the  heart  of  his  well-beloved  Bagdad 
Upon-the-Subway  is  to  him  renewed. 
He  knew,  beneath  her  harmless  platitude, 
The  gentler  secrets  that  the  shopgirl  had. 

They  mark  the  house  on  Irving  Place  FOR  SALE; 
Disrupt  the  Union  Square  that  once  he  knew, 
And  necklace  our  Broadway  with  brighter  lights; 
But  where  the  pencil  that  can  tell  his  tale? 
Or  hands  to  write,  as  his  alone  could  do, 
The  stories  of  our  Cabarabian  Nights? 

— CHRISTOPHER  MORLEY 

(Courtesy  of  the  X.  Y.  Evening  Post) 

INTRODUCTORY  NOTE 

THIS  book  is  a  collection,  an  assembly,  gathered 
from  many  sources  of  the  most  intimate  and 
significant   of  the   O.    Henry   memoirs.    They 
will  give  a  glimpse  of  the  little  known  life  of  Sydney 
Porter,  and  the  alphabetical  index  will  be  a  convenient 
guide  to  his  works. 

<!  The  authoritative  "O.  Henry  Biography,"  by  Pro 
fessor  C.  Alphonso  Smith  of  the  United  States  Naval 
Academy  was  published  in  1916.  Many  years  earlier  the 
plans  for  this  book  were  laid  by  Harry  Peyton  Steger,  a 
friend  of  Sydney  Porter's  who  visited,  in  1912,  every 
haunt  of  O.  Henry  in  the  South  and  brought  to  light 


M799052 


a  quantity  of  the  dijecta  membra  of  O.  Henry's  early 
literary  efforts.  These  were  later  collected  in  the 
volume  called  "  Rolling  Stones." 

<I  Steger's  faith  in  the  ultimate  position  which  O. 
Henry  would  occupy  in  American  literature  was  of  the 
type  which  moves  mountains.  He  was  an  indefatig 
able  worker  for  the  spread  of  O.  Henry's  fame  after  he 
died,  and  probably  did  more  than  any  other  individual 
to  lay  the  foundations  of  O.  Henry's  popularity. 

<I  The  following  article  by  George  MacAdam,  O. 
Henry's  only  interviewer,  is  new  material,  now  printed 
in  full  for  the  first  time.  The  sketches  by  Mr.  Arthur 
Page  and  Richard  Duffy,  which  follow,  are  reprinted 
through  the  courtesy  of  the  authors  and  the  editors  of 
The  Bookman,  in  which  they  originally  appeared  with 
illustrations. 

9  An  acknowledgment  of  gratitude  is  made  to  E.  F. 
Saxton,  the  editor  and  compiler  of  the  first  O.  Henry 
Index. 


O.  HENRY'S 
ONLY  AUTOBIOGRAPHIA 

BY  GEORGE  MAcADAM 

(The  following  article  was  written  for  The  New  York  Times  Book 
Review  and  Magazine.  Owing  to  the  limitations  of  newspaper  space,  a 
considerable  portion,  including  some  of  the  0.  Henry  interview,  was 
deleted  from  the  article  as  published  in  the  issue  of  August  6,  1922.  The 
article  and  the  unique  interview  are  here  published  in  full.  None  of  the 
material  was  gathered  from  second-band  sources:  the  third-person  inci 
dents  were  related  to  Mr.  MacAdam  by  the  individuals  concerned — 
"Bob"  Davis,  Peyton  Steger,  Will  Irwin,  and  "John  Drew,"  the  bar 
tender.) 

SOMEBODY  has  again  raised  the  question  where  the  late_\Villiam  Syd 
ney.  Porter  got  his  pen  name,  O.  Henry;  and  various  conjectures  have 
been  made,  running  from  Osian  Henry,  a  French  pharmaceutical 
writer,  who  always  signed  himself  O.  Henry,  to  a  Texas  cowboy  song 
"  Root,  Hog,  or  Die,"  the  second  line  of  the  tenth  verse  of  which  runs, 
"Saying,  'Henry,  O  Henry,  what  sentence  have  you  got?'" 

In  the  only  bit  of  autobiographia  that  this  reserved,  almost  taci 
turn,  man  left  he  himself  has  told  us  how  he  took  his  pen  name.  This 
interesting  chronicle  has  been  completely  overlooked,  forgotten, 
buried  as  it  is  in  that  vast  mortuary,  the  back  files  of  a  metropolitan 
newspaper. 

Throughout  his  whole  career  O.  Henry  gave  but  one  interview,  and 
in  that  interview  he  talked — not  without  a  certain  depreciatory 
interjection  of  whimsicality — of  himself,  of  his  life,  his  work.  It  was 
my  privilege  to  be  the  interviewer,  the  result  being  published  in  the 
New  York  Sunday  Times  of  April  4,  1909.  Not  only  was  I  very  care 
ful  to  make  copious  notes  so  that  1  could  report  O.  Henry  verbatim — 
a  precaution  that  provoked  a  characteristic  protest;  but  O.  Henry, 
before  granting  the  interview,  had  imposed  the  condition  that  he  see 


the  product  before  publication.  I  accordingly  carried  the  galley 
proofs  to  him.  Ink-bottle  uncorked,  pen  in  hand,  he  read  them 
through  very  slowly,  very  carefully.  Then  he  began  at  the  beginning 
and  read  them  through  again.  His  pen  still  undipped,  no  corrections 
made  in  the  proofs,  he  handed  them  back,  his  only  remark  being, 
"You  seem  to  have  got  me."  And  though  we  adjourned  from  his 
apartment  in  the  Caledonia  to  "a  quiet  little  place"  just  down  the 
street,  one  of  his  favorite  stopping  places,  and  there  had  talk  and  other 
things,  O.  Henry  did  not  say  another  word  about  the  interview — an 
unusual  thing  in  people  who  are  about  to  see  their  personalities  bloom 
in  print. 

As  a  matter  of  fact,  O.  Henry  did  not  want  to  be  interviewed.  A 
natural  reserve,  a  jealousy  of  his  own  privacy,  combined  with  a  keen 
sense  of  humor,  made  him  shrink  from  talking  about  himself  for  the 
entertainment  of  the  public. 

Despite  the  fact  that  for  a  number  of  years  he  had  been  one  of 
America's  most  popular  short  story  writers,  he  had  resolutely  kept 
himself  invisible  behind  a  pen  name.  Gradually  it  leaked  out  that 
O.  Henry  in  everyday  life  was  William  Sydney  Porter.  Then,  after 
long-continued  importunity  from  his  editors,  he  finally  permitted 
the  publication  of  his  photograph.  But  the  story  of  himself — his 
whence  and  his  how — this  teller  of  tales  had  refused  to  relate.  Even 

(to  the  inquiries  of  that  mildly  inquisitive  publication,  "Who's  Who 
in  America,"  which  wants  but  the  barest  skeleton  of  a  celebrity's 
life,  he  remained  mum. 
The  public's  appetite  for  personalities,  however,  is  not  a  thing  that 
can  be  quietly  waved  to  one  side.  "Who  is  this  man  O.  Henry,"  it 
asked,  "who  is  delighting  us  with  his  short  stories?  What  kind  of  a 
life  has  he  led  to  know  so  much  of  the  under  side  of  things?  Tell  us, 
O  newspapers!  tell  us  of  it." 

And  so  the  paragraphers  got  busy.  If  the  real  O.  Henry  persisted 
in  living  in  quiet  retirement,  why,  then,  an  O.  Henry  would  be  pieced 
together  out  of  magnified  bits  of  gossip,  anecdotes  that  had  been  re 
told  by  a  friend  of  a  friend  of  the  author.  Needless  to  say,  the  figure 
thus  created  was  a  romantic  one — romantic  now  that  he  was  success 
ful,  had  money  in  his  pocket,  acquired  a  white  shirt  and  collar  and 
become  "one  of  us,"  but  a  figure  that  scarce  "one  of  us"  would  find 
romantic  or  choose  for  a  companion  back  in  the  unwashed  days. 
This  O.  Henry  of  anecdote  had  passed  through  all  the  down-at-the- 

6 


heel  occupations,  tramp,  tintype  artist,  sheep  herder,  book  agent, 
penny-a-liner,  hard-luck  prospector,  cowboy,  and  ineffectual  mer 
chant;  and  then,  suddenly,  as  it  happens  in  fairy  tales  (this  was  before 
the  day  of  the  movies)  he  had  burst  into  print  and  become  one  of  the 
popular  authors  of  the  day. 

Why  did  he  make  an  exception  to  this  hard-and-fast  rule  and  give 
this  one  interview? 

For  answer  I  must  begin  by  calling  attention  to  the  fact  that 
O.  Henry  was  a  bohemian  by  instinct,  and — unlike  most  of  that  vaga 
bond  sect,  even  those  famed  exemplars  of  bohemianism,  Marcel  and 
Rodolphe — he  remained  a  bohemian  after  artistic  and  financial 
success  had  been  achieved. 

To  find  another  like  him  one  must  leave  these  times,  when  Pegasus 
works  in  harness  and,  like  a  hack  horse,  has  his  prescribed  hours  of 
labor,  his  prescribed  amount  of  daily  toil.  One  must  go  back  to  old 
Grub  Street.  Oliver  Goldsmith  was  perhaps  his  nearest  kin  tempera 
mentally;  irresponsible,  careless  of  time  and  money,  loving  the  men 
and  women  who  are  at  the  bottom  of  the  social  heap. 

Carelessness  with  money  was  one  of  the  great  handicaps  of  O. 
Henry's  life.  It  slipped  through  his  pockets  as  though  they  were 
sieves.  One  of  the  best  paid  of  America's  short  story  writers  of  that 
day,  receiving  Syoo  and  S8oo  a  story,  he  was  always  hard  up,  always 
getting  advances  from  editors  and  publishers,  always  writing  against 
an  empty  purse. 

Where  did  his  money  go? 

One  of  his  friends,  who  asked  that  his  name  be  not  published,  told 
me:  "Any  one  who  looked  like  an  under-dog  could  always  'touch' 
O.  Henry.  He  couldn't  bear  to  see  any  one  who  seemed  to  be  in 
want.  Why  I've  seen  him  give  a  five-dollar  bill  to  a  hungry-eyed 
sandwich-board  man.  Has-beens  appealed  just  as  strongly  to  his 
sympathy.  Down-at-the-heel  actors,  writers  and  artists  could 
always  get  'a  loan,'  as  he  insisted  upon  calling  it." 

I  have  already  mentioned  that  "quiet  little  place"  just  down  the 
street  from  the  Caledonia,  whither  O.  Henry  and  I  adjourned  after 
the  proofs  of  the  interview  had  been  duly  scrutinized.  The  inspira- 
tory  sap  was  presided  over  by  two  members  of  the  white-jacketed 
brotherhood,  whom  O.  Henry,  because  of  a  hypothetical  resemblance, 
had  rechristened  Robert  Lorraine  and  John  Drew.  A  few  days  after 
the  author's  death,  about  a  year  later,  I  again  entered  those  swinging 

7 


doors.  "John  Drew"  was  behind  the  bar,  and  our  talk  was  of 
O.  Henry. 

"He  used  to  drop  in  pretty  regularly  about  10  o'clock  every  morn 
ing.  Sazerac  cocktail  was  his  favorite  drink.  Some  days  the  tele 
phone  bell  would  ring  and  he  would  tell  me  to  send  over  to  his  rooms 
a  bottle  of  Scotch.  Then  1  knew  that  he  was  writing.  But  I  never 
saw  him  drink  Scotch  at  the  bar. 

"He  was  always  very  quiet;  I  never  heard  him  make  a  joke  or  a 
funny  crack.  He  was  distant  with  strangers.  With  the  exception 
of  a  few  friends  who  occasionally  came  in  with  him,  I  never  saw  him 
get  into  conversation  with  any  one.  But  he  was  always  listening  and 
watching. 

"He  had  a  heart  like  that"  (indicating  with  his  hands  the  size 
of  a  big  pumpkin).  "If  he  had  $10  he'd  give  it  to  you,  and  then 
perhaps  come  over  and  borrow  a  half-  dollar  from  me.  He  was  always 
helping  some  of  the  boys  out,  and  never  a  come-back.  I've  heard 
that  from  lots  of  people." 

Before  we  leave  this  barroom  a  scrap  of  conversation  should  be 
retold  which,  as  through  a  knot-hole  of  whimsicality,  gives  us  a 
glimpse  of  O.  Henry's  opinion  on  The  Great  Question.  He  and 
Peyton  Steger  were  standing  there  one  midnight,  foot  on  brass  rail, 
elbow  on  mahogany,  when  Steger  asked: 

"What  do  you  think  about  the  hereafter?" 

Said  O.  Henry: 

"I  had  a  little  dog, 
And  his  name  was  Rover. 
And  when  he  died 
He  died  all  over." 

Then  he  changed  the  subject. 

It  was  doubtless  through  his  open-handed,  unquestioning  gener 
osity  that  a  considerable  part  of  his  money  dribbled  away.  Reckon 
ing  must  also  be  made  with  his  happy-go-lucky,  improvident  spirit. 
The  letters  that  he  wrote  to  his  editors  and  publishers  tell  an  eloquent 
story  of  this  side  of  his  nature. 

Robert  H.  Davis,  known  to  newspaper  men  and  writers  as  "Bob" 
Davis  of  the  Munsey  Company,  has  very  kindly  permitted  me  to  use 
seven  of  the  sixty-odd  letters  that  O.  Henry  wrote  to  him  as  a  friend 
and  purchasing  editor.  This  being  a  gossip  for  lovers  of  O.  Henry,  I 

8 


am  sure  that  I'll  be  pardoned  if  1  digress  to  tell  how  Mr.  Davis  un 
earthed  the  author  at  the  Hotel  Marty,  and  how  the  latter  was  hired 
and  fired  by  the  New  York  World. 

In  1903  F.  L.  H.  Noble  was  Sunday  editor  of  The  World.  Mr.  Davis 
was  on  the  staff.  A  few  of  O.  Henry's  stories  had  appeared  in  mag 
azines,  particularly  in  Ainslee's,  which  was  then  edited  by  Oilman  Hall. 

Mr.  Davis's  story  follows: 

"The  Sunday  editor  gave  me  this  assignment:  'Go  out  and  locate 
this  man  O.  Henry.  He's  got  a  breezy,  snappy  style  that  I  like.  I 
want  to  get  him  to  write  introductions  to  our  Sunday  stories.  Offer 
him  $40  a  week.  If  that  doesn't  do  the  trick,  jump  to  $50.  The 
limit  is  S6o.' 

"  1  heard  that  the  author  was  living  in  a  lodging  or  boarding  house 
in  West  Twenty-fourth  Street.  That  was  as  near  as  I  could  get  to  a 
definite  address.  I  concluded  that  that  portion  of  West  Twenty- 
fourth  Street  occupied  (at  that  time)  by  boarding  houses,  pensions 
and  Italian  restaurants,  lying  between  Sixth  Avenue  and  Broadway, 
offered  the  best  hunting  ground;  and  I  accordingly  began  a  complete 
survey  of  every  structure  that  seemed  open  to  the  transient  world. 
Through  the  courtesy  of  some  landlords  and  the  discourtesy  of  a  few 
slaveys,  I  managed  to  comb  four  buildings — without  results.  The 
fifth  happened  to  be  the  Hotel  Marty.  The  proprietor  was  an 
Italian.  I  asked  him  if  he  had  an  O.  Henry  or  a  Sydney  Porter 
occupying  a  room  in  his  hospitable  inn.  Neither  name  seemed  to 
mean  anything  to  him.  He  did,  however,  suggest  that  I  might  go 
through  the  house  and  investigate. 

"  I  began  on  the  top  story.  None  of  the  tenants  was  in.  On  the 
next  story,  that  is  to  say  the  fourth  from  the  ground  floor,  from  hall- 
bedroom  Number  7,  in  response  to  my  bombardment,  I  received  a 
cheerful  invitation  to  enter.  It  was  a  very  small  room  facing  on  the 
usual  handsome  air-shaft.  In  spite  of  the  dim  light  I  was  able  to 
make  out  a  rather  corpulent  figure  in  shirt  sleeves,  suspenders  down, 
seated  beside  a  wash-stand  upon  which  sat  a  huge  bowl  containing 
perhaps  five  pounds  of  cracked  ice  in  which  reposed  half  a  dozen  fine 
Bartlett  pears.  The  figure  rose  with  considerable  dignity  and  with 
a  low  gesture  said:  'Come  in,  Mister.' 

"  I  entered  and  closed  the  door. 

'"I  am  looking,'  said  I,  'for  Mr.  Sydney  Porter,  otherwise  O. 
Henry.' 


"'1  am  both,'  said  he.  'Sit  down.  Have  some  fruit.  It  is  nice 
and  cool.  I  suffer  like  hell  in  New  York  from  the  heat.'  He  wiped 
the  perspiration  from  his  brow.  'What  can  I  do  for  you?' 

""I  seized  a  Bartlett  and  slew  it  with  the  skin  on. 
!    '"I  have  a  proposition  to  make.' 

"He  fixed  his  luminous  blue  eyes  upon  me  and  cupped  his  left 
ear  with  his  hand.  There  was  something  about  his  demeanor  that 
suggested  the  utter  absurdity  of  traffic. 

'"In  fact  I  have  three  propositions,'  I  continued.  'But  I  shall 
make  the  last  one  first.' 

"  I  took  two  more  bites  out  of  the  Bartlett  for  purposes  of  concen 
tration  and  then  fired  the  shot. 

'"The  New  York  World  authorizes  me  to  offer  you  $60  a  week  to 
write  introductions  varying  from  300  to  700  words  in  length,  for 
special  features  appearing  in  the  Sunday  issue.' 

"'If  this  last  proposition  is  the  best,'  said  he,  gazing  out  into  the 
air-shaft  much  in  the  same  manner  as  the  Prisoner  of  Chillon  catching 
a  glimpse  of  Lake  Geneva,  'you  needn't  make  the  other  two.  I 
accept  your  proposition.  Moreover,  Mister,  you  can  have  the 
balance  of  the  pears.' 

"The  whole  transaction  was  completed  in  less  than  five  minutes. 
To  commemorate  the  operation,  Porter  hastily  got  into  his  coat  and 
vest,  and  we  withdrew  to  the  basement  of  the  Marty  where,  in  spite 
of  the  humidity  and  the  absurdity  of  the  noon  hour,  we  had  a  full- 
course  Italian  dinner,  including  a  quart  of  imported  wine,  which 
lasted  until  2:30  p.  M. 

"Within  the  next  few  days  I  turned  over  to  him  proofs  of  six  or 
eight  Sunday  World  stories,  for  which  he  wrote  brilliant  introductions. 
The  following  week  he  left  the  Hotel  Marty  and  took  an  apartment 
in  the  neighborhood  of  Irving  Place.  Thereafter  the  proofs  were 
sent  to  him  once  a  week  and  returned  to  the  office  within  24  hours. 
Some  of  the  material  did  not  appeal  to  him,  and  he  said  that  he  would 
rather  not  prepare  an  introduction  to  something  that  did  not  interest 
him.  This,  however,  was  not  frequent. 

"  Mr.  Noble  subsequently  retired  from  the  editorship  of  the  Sunday 
World,  and  was  succeeded  by  the  late  Colonel  Caleb  Van  Hamm, 
who  asked  me:  'Who's  this  man  Porter?'  I  explained  that  he  was 
one  of  Mr.  Noble's  selections  and  that  his  rate  was  $60  a  week  for  such 
introductions  as  Mr.  Noble  required. 

10 


"Mr.  Van  Hamm  uttered  one  brilliant,  laconic  sentence:  'Can 
him.' 

"  I  conveyed  as  gently  as  possible  to  O.  Henry  the  information  that 
his  introductions  were  unsatisfactory.  He  seemed  to  be  very  much 
pleased.  Subsequently  he  made  a  connection  with  the  Evening 
World,  in  the  columns  of  which  appeared  some  of  his  best  short 
fiction,  the  stories  that  were  gathered  in  the  volume  'The  Four 
Million.' 

"Meanwhile,  I  had  left  The  World  and  joined  the  Munsey  organ 
ization.  I  had  not  been  there  long  before  I  placed  O.  Henry  under  a 
five-year  contract  to  submit  first  to  Munsey 's  Magazine  all  of  his 
fiction." 

It  was  in  the  course  of  this  relationship  that  O.  Henry  wrote  the 
following  letters  to  Mr.  Davis,  whose  first  name  you  will  remember  is 
Robert: 

Thursday 
DEAR  OLD  BILL: 

At  last  I  have  hove  anchor  at — Waverly  Place,  and  have  an 
address  to  give  you.  I  am  in  Oilman  Hall's  apartment,  and  can 
now  continue  to  turn  out  the  old  blown-in-the-bottle  brand  of 
fiction. 

I  am  a  man  of  damn  few  words.  I  want  $125  (don't  read 
that  a  dollar  and  a  quarter).  That  in  addition  to  the  $i  50  that  I 
screwed  out  of  Merwin  during  your  absence  will  make  a  total  of 
$275,  which  will  be  more  than  covered  by  the  moral  and  enter 
taining  tale  that  I  hereby  agree  to  have  finished  and  delivered  to 
you  all  by  10:30  A.  M.  Monday,  Aug.  27,  or  perhaps  earlier. 

Pursue  the  liberal  policy,  and  get  the  best  stuff. 

Personally  and  officially  I  greet  you  and  make  obeisance. 

Consistently, 

BILL  THE  BEDOUIN 

P.S. — I  want  the  dough,  not  a  check  (but  a  check  will  do)  by  the 
bearer,  or  else  a  few  well-chosen  words  of  refusal. 

Thursday 
DEAR  BILL: 

Will  you  be  nice  enough  to  let  me  go  over  the  proofs  of  all  my 
stories  before  they  are  published?  The  printer,  with  his  usual 
helfiredness,  seems  always  to  butcher  the  meaning  by  setting  up 
words  that  do  not  appear  in  the  MS.  Also  please  kill  your  proof 
reader. 

Hoping,  etc.,  yours, 

O.  H. 

ii 


DEAR  BILL: 

Here  she  are.  I  reckon  you  or  some  intelligent  person  in  the 
office  can  tell  where  the  patches  fit.  If  you  don't  like  the  new 
title  say  so.  There  are  others. 

Fulsomely, 

WILLIE 

MON  CHER  BILL: 

Can  you  raise  the  immediate  goods  for  this,  and  once  more 
rescue  little  Ruby  from  certain  death? 

The  big  story  will  be  handed  in  Monday  for  you  to  try  on  the 
piano.  From  next  week  on  I'll  show  you  a  story  every  week. 
I'm  going  to  make  some  of  the  best  samples  of  2,000  and  2,500 
word  stuff  that's  possible.  That's  the  length  that  counts. 

I'm  feeling  fine,  and  hope  these  few  lines  will — say,  don't  forget 
to  send  the  $25. 

Don't  do  it  if  you  refuse  to  do  it. 

Yours  ever, 

O.  H. 

HELLO,  MR.  BILL:  Saturday 

Say — a  fool  and  his  money,  etc. 

Is  there  anything  doing  for  about  $49.98  to-day  for  the  purpose 
of  purchasing  things  offered  for  sale  in  the  marts?  I  had  to  send 
most  all  of  that  stuff  abroad  that  you  gimme  the  other  day. 

Don't  press  the  matter  if  it  seems  out  of  order.  I'll  be  even 
and  ahead  of  the  game  pretty  soon.  There  will  come  to  you  on 
Monday  the  new  story. 

Greetings  and  undying  veneration  in  either  case. 

O.  H. 

DEAR  BILL:  Monday 

Herewith  submitted  one  MS.     Have  another  one  ready  to 

typewrite,  which  you  can  read  to-morrow. 

Give  the  full  speed  ahead  signal  and  whoop  them  through,  pro 

or  con.     Great  business.     The  mill  is  grinding  at  the  old  gait. 

Yours, 

BILL2D 

DEAR  MISTER:  Monday 

Would  you  put  a  tail  on  this  kite  for  me  again?  She  will  fly 
on  the  date  advertised.  Please  send  the  cash  if  you've  got  it  on 
hand. 

Say — the  story  will  be  brought  to  you  by  me  on  WEDNES 
DAY.  It  will  be  an  all  right  one. 

Hoping,  etc.,  and  yours  truly, 

O.  H. 

12 


These  rollicking,  tomfoolery  letters  do  not  prepare  one  for  the  con 
fession  that  O.  Henry  once  made  to  Mr.  Davis. 

"When  he  was  at  the  height  of  his  success,  he  said  to  me: 

'"  I'm  a  failure.  I  always  have  the  feeling  that  I  want  to  get  back 
somewhere,  but  I  don't  know  just  where  it  is. 

'"My  stories?  No,  they  don't  satisfy  me.  I  see  them  in  print 
and  I  wonder  why  people  like  them.  I  wait  till  they  come  out  in 
book  form,  hoping  that  they  may  look  better  to  me  then.  But  they 
don't.  It  depresses  me  to  have  people  point  me  out  or  introduce  me 
as  "a celebrated  author."  It  seems  such  a  big  label  for  such  picayune 
goods. 

'"Sometimes  I  feel  that  I'd  like  to  get  into  some  business;  perhaps 
some  clerkship;  some  place  where  I  could  see  that  I  was  doing  some 
thing  tangible,  something  worth  while.'" 

Will  a  gossip  be  pardoned  another  digression?  One  of  O.  Henry's 
few  intimates  was  Will  Irwin.  One  evening  he  went  with  Irwin  and 
Gelett  Burgess  to  a  chafing-dish  supper  in  an  artist's  studio. 

"You  remember,"  said  Mr.  Irwin  in  telling  the  incident  to  me, 
"  Burgess'  Lines  to  a  Purple  Cow.  They  became  famous  throughout 
the  country,  and  Burgess,  much  to  his  disgust,  was  always  pointed  out 
and  spoken  of  as  the  author  of  A  Purple  Cow.  It  was  not  until  he 
wrote  his  Bromidiom  Theory  that  this  hoodoo  was  lifted. 

"  Burgess  got  to  hate  those  lines,  and  I  only  saw  him  laugh  once 
at  any  reference  to  them.  It  happened  on  the  evening  I'm  telling 
you  of.  O.  Henry  had  been  put  to  work  beating  eggs.  For  ten 
minutes  he  beat,  patiently,  silently.  Then  he  began: 

" '  I  never  beat  a  rotten  egg, 
I  never  hope  to  beat  one. 
But  I  can  tell  you  anyhow, 
I'd  rather  beat  than  eat  one.' 

"  It's  a  bromidiom  to  say  of  a  big  man  that  you  would  never  per 
ceive  it  from  meeting  him,"  continued  Mr.  Irwin.  "Superficially, 
that  was  true  of  O.  Henry.  For  on  the  surface  he  was  a  silent,  a  shy 
man.  His  favorite  diversion,  he  use  to  say,  was  to  sit  around  a  table 
where  three  or  four  pleasant  people  were  gathered  together,  and  be 
free  from  any  worry  about  food  and  drink,  and  just  listen.  He  had 
the  faculty  of  sitting  perfectly  silent  and  yet  of  stimulating  the  talk 
rather  than  deadening  it.  And  about  once  in  ten  minutes  he  would 

13 


throw  in  a  remark,  delivered  in  his  low,  apologetic  Southern  voice, 
which  went  straight  to  the  heart  of  the  thing. 

"It  was  then,  I  suppose,  that  a  clever  stranger  would  have  recog 
nized  a  big  man  in  this  suppressed,  middle-aged  person  who  sat  so 
quietly  in  the  corner  and  was  yet  the  head  of  every  table  at  which 
he  sat. 

"  He  was  one  of  the  three  or  four  in  this  generation — no  more — who 
generate  stories  spontaneously,  who  see  the  life  about  them  in  story 
form.  When  the  mood  was  on  him  he  would  look  through  a  cafe 
window  at  a  cab — and  flash !  would  come  a  story.  •  But  composition  was 
with  him  a  fearful  labor— a  proof  that  easy  writing  is  very  hard  reading. 

"As  an  editor  I  was  waiting  for  a  story  which  he  was  under  contract 
to  deliver.  On  the  last  possible  day  I  went  down  to  his  workshop  to  get 
it.  He  was  still  at  work  on  a  pad  of  ruled  yellow  copy  paper.  I  waited 
all  the  morning,  reading  a  newspaper  in  a  corner,  while  he  finished  it. 

"The  story  seemed  to  come  at  the  rate  of  about  one  short  sentence 
in  a  quarter  of  an  hour.  He  would  run  his  hands  through  his  hair, 
gaze  at  the  ceiling,  bite  his  pencil,  put  down  three  words,  sit  like  a 
rock  gazing  at  the  wall,  put  down  three  words  more. 

"I  grew  tired  from  sympathy  as  I  watched  him  over  my  news 
paper. 

"People  have  told  me  that  Porter  was  lazy.  Judging  from  the 
amount  of  stuff  he  published  and  the  rate  at  which  he  turned  it  out, 
I  should  call  him  one  of  the  most  industrious  literary  workers  of  his 
time.  Every  man  to  his  tools.  Porter's  conception  was  a  flashing 
sabre,  his  execution  a  delving  spade." 

It  is  questionable  if  Mr.  Irwin  is  justified  in  his  conclusion  that 
"composition  was  with  him  (O.  Henry)  a  fearful  labor;"  it  is  a 
question  if  he  has  not  leaped  from  the  particular  to  the  general.  In 
his  talk  with  me,  O.  Henry  said  that  he  got  "dry  spells, "  that  some 
times  he  couldn't  "turn  out  a  thing  for  three  months."  "Dry 
spells"  are  no  respecters  of  contracts.  Only  the  writer  who  suffers 
from  these  periods  of  mental  aridity  and  who  has  had  to  pump  out 
a  story  in  the  midst  of  one  of  them,  can  properly  sympathize  with  O. 
Henry  as  he  squeezed  out  that  story,  one  short  sentence  to  the 
quarter-hour.  Such  travail  is  bad  enough  in  solitude,  but  with  one's 
editor  sitting  in  a  corner,  watching  over  his  newspaper,  waiting  all 
morning  for  copy ! — the  good  Lord  deliver  us  from  such  a  slow  fly- 
and-spider  game! 


During  the  last  years  of  the  author's  life,  Peyton  Steger  of  Double- 
day,  Page  &  Co.,  who  had  become  his  publishers,  acted  as  his  book 
keeper,  banker,  and  general  financial  guardian.  Some  months  before 
his  death  he  disappeared  from  his  rooms  in  the  Caledonia.  A  few 
days  later  Mr.  Steger  was  called  to  the  telephone.  O.  Henry  was  at 
the  other  end  of  the  wire. 

"Hello,  hello.  That  you,  Cul'nel?  Say,  I've  got  to  have  $58.14 
at  1 1 120  to-morrow  morning." 

The  exactness  of  the  amount  and  of  the  time  did  not  surprise  the 
hearer;  specifying  sums  to  the  penny  (usually  14)  and  the  hour  of 
need  to  the  minute  were  two  habits  of  O.  Henry. 

"Well,  I'll  see  if  I  can  fix  you.     But  where  in  thunder  are  you?" 

"I've  taken  quarters  in  the  Chelsea.     Come  and  see  me." 

A  work  table,  a  chair,  a  bed,  and  O.  Henry  were  discovered  occupy 
ing  a  six-room  apartment  in  the  Chelsea.  The  author  was  in  a  blue 
dressing  gown. 

"Excuse  my  negligee.     My  clothes  are  out  being  pressed." 

"But  what  are  you  doing  here?" 

"Why,  I  owed  them  so  much  at  the  Caledonia  that  [it  got  on  my 
mind  and  I  couldn't  work  there.  So  I've  taken  these  rooms." 

"Of  course  you've  given  up  your  rooms  at  the  Caledonia?" 

"Oh,  no.  I've  got  these,  too.  I  just  wanted  temporarily  to  get 
out  of  the  atmosphere  of  indebtedness.  As  soon  as  I  get  a  little 
ahead  I'll  square  up  and  move  back." 

Now  it  so  happens  that  publishers  have  a  firm  belief  (enthusiasti 
cally  shared  by  most  authors)  that  publicity  is  a  mighty  fine  thing. 
Mr.  Steger  concluded  that  an  O.  Henry  interview  would  be  ideal 
publicity  for  O.  Henry's  books,  and  finally  persuaded  the  author  to 
promise  to  submit  to  an  interview. 

Six  weeks,  however,  elapsed  before  Mr.  Steger  succeeded  in  bring 
ing  author  and  interviewer  together,  O.  Henry  using  all  the  old 
dodges — "out,"  "previous  engagement,"  "up  to  the  ears  in  work," 
etc.  Despairing  of  making  an  engagement,  Mr.  Steger  one  afternoon, 
first  ascertaining  over  the  telephone  that  the  quarry  was  in  his  apart 
ment  at  the  Caledonia,  led  me  thither,  pointed  out  the  door,  and  re 
vealed  the  countersign,  one  loud  knock  followed  by  two  quick  taps. 
This  was  the  author's  appointed  signal  that  Desirables  were  without. 

O.  Henry  himself  opened  the  door. 

"I've  been  trailing  you  for  over  a  month." 

IS 


"I  know  you  have."  The  author  subsided  into  his  easy  chair. 
"What  is  it  you  want  me  to  talk  about?" 

"Yourself." 

"No,  no.  It's  got  to  be  something  more  stimulating  than  that. 
Ask  me  what  I  think  about  Shakespeare.  Go  on.  I'm  in  the  atti 
tude."  He  assumed  the  attitude  of  an  author  in  deep  thought, 
pressing  a  hand  against  his  brow  as  though  to  quiet  its  dynamic 
throbbings. 

Producing  a  pencil  and  several  sheets  of  paper  folded  to  an  unob 
trusive  size,  I  began  to  make  a  note,  but  O.  Henry  stopped  me. 

"  If  you  want  a  man  to  talk,  whatever  else  you  do,  don't  flash  a 
pencil  and  notebook;  either  he  will  shut  up  or  become  a  Hall  Caine." 

I  concluded  that  it  was  safe  to  take  a  chance  on  O.  Henry  becoming 
a  Hall  Caine,  and  clung  to  my  pencil  and  notepaper. 

"Let  me  ask  you  a  question.  Are  you  going  to  draw  a  pen  picture 
of  me?" 

1  admitted  that  I  might  make  the  attempt. 

O.  Henry  apparently  dreaded  the  florid  phrases  that  compose  the 
usual  pen  picture  and  wanted  to  give  them  a  cold  douche. 

"Then  let  me  ask  you  to  say  that  I  look  like  a  healthy  butcher, 
just  that,  and  no  adornments." 

(The  reader  may  be  interested  in  seeing  the  "pen  picture"  that  was 
printed  with  the  original  interview,  for,  being  included  in  the  sub 
mitted  proofs,  it  was  read  by  O.  Henry  and  passed  by  him  without 
correction  or  comment. 

I  can  heartily  subscribe  to  the  adjective  but  not  to  the  noun 
in  O.  Henry's  phrase  of  self-portraiture.     He  surely  does  look 
"healthy" — short,  stocky,  broad-shouldered,  ruddy-faced,  clear- 
eyed,  and  none  of  his  hair  missing.     He  has  none  of  the  wan 
intellectuality,    none  of  the   pale  aestheticisms   that  are  con 
ventional  parts  of  the  make-up  of  the  literary  lions  that  disport 
themselves  at  afternoon  tea  parties.     One  can  readily  see  that  he 
is  the  natural  father  of  "the  moral  reflection  that  life  is  made  up  ^ 
of  sobs,  sniffles,  and  smiles,  with  sniffles  predominating,"  which  if. 
moral  reflection  is  culled  from  "The  Gift  of  the  Magi"  and  is  the  % 
thread  upon  which  most  of  his  stories  are  strung. 

One  more  "aside."  O.  Henry  has  a  way  of  smiling  with  both 
mouth  and  eyes  when  he  says  something  that  you  are  quite  sure 
is  the  truth,  and  of  looking  solemnly  straight-faced  when  he  says 
something  that  you  more  than  half  suspect  is  josh.  This  is 
offered  as  a  possible  key  to  the  interview.) 

16 


"You  were  about  to  remark  about  yourself,"  I  suggested,  trying  to 
get  O.  Henry  started. 

"Just  this  much:  A  lot  of  stories  have  been  printed  about  me,  and 
none  of  them  is  true.  It's  been  said  that  I  was  once  a  cattle  thief. 
The  nearest  I  ever  got  to  that  distinction  was  going  down  on  a 
friend's  ranch  to  learn  the  cattle-raising  business.  Another  srory  is 
that  I've  been  a  miner.  I  never  saw  a  mine  in  my  life.  Then  there's 
the  yarn  that  I  was  a  tintype  artist.  So  far  as  this  is  concerned,  I 
must  admit  that  I  once  had  a  tintype  taken  with  my  arm  draped 
gracefully  over  a  lady's  shoulder. 

"Then  there  is  that  infernal  newspaper  over  in  Pittsburgh  that 
printed  the  story  that  when  I  first  began  to  write  I  blew  into  its 
office,  looking  like  a  tramp,  offered  manuscripts  for  sale,  and  before 
blowing  out  again  borrowed  a  dollar.  That  story  is  an  embroidered 
fib.  Why,  I  was  the  best  dressed  man  in  the  office  unless  it  was  the 
editor,  whose  shoes  were  a  little  more  pointed  than  mine. 

"  It  was  a  year  after  the  story  was  printed  before  I  saw  it.  Then  I 
made  a  special  trip  over  to  Pittsburgh.  I  sent  in  my  card  to  the 
editor. 

"'Sir,'  said  I  when  I  at  last  found  myself  face-to-face  with  this 
libeller  of  my  solvency,  'Sir,  I  have  come  over  to  lick  you.' 

'"But  wasn't  it  a  bully  good  story?'  asked  the  editor. 

"  I  admitted  that  it  was,  and  instead  of  licking  him  we  went  out 
and  lunched  together. 

"No,  Sir,  all  stories  to  the  contrary  notwithstanding,  there  never 
was  a  time  that  I  couldn't  dig  down  into  my  pocket  and  find  corn 
therein;  I  never  rode  a  mile  unless  it  was  in  a  Pullman." 

"All  that  you  have  said  so  far  about  yourself  is  of  a  negative 
character — the  things  that  you  were  not;  now  won't  you  tell  some  of 
the  things  that  you  have  been?" 

"Well,  I  was  born — that  is  a  good  point  to  start  at — in  Greensboro, 
N.  C." 

"How  old,  if  it's  not  too  delicate  a  question?" 

"Let  me  see:  I  was  born  in  1867."  The  author  produced  a  pencil 
and  figured  on  a  scrap  of  paper.  "That  makes  me  42,  almost  43  years 
old,  but  put  it  down  42.  As  for  my  ancestors,  some  of  them  were 
Governors  of  the  State." 

"  Did  you  go  to  college?" 

"No;  that  is  one  handicap  that  I  went  into  this  work  of  writing 


without.  I  went  to  Texas  when  I  was  quite  a  youngster.  Delicacy 
of  health  and  not  of  purse  was  the  cause  of  this  trip.  I  spent  two  and 
a  half  years  on  the  ranch  of  Lee  Hall,  the  famous  ranger.  He  was  a 
friend  of  my  family's,  and  I  was  a  guest  at  his  ranch.  1  was  studying 
the  cattle  business,  with  the  idea  of  taking  it  up.  Then  it  quit 
raining;  the  pastures  dried  up;  and  I  quit  the  cattle  and  sheep  raising 
business.  That's  the  nearest  I  ever  came  to  being  a  cowboy  or  sheep 
herder." 

"Then  what  did  you  do?"  I  asked,  for  O.  Henry  had  lapsed  into 
silence  as  though  his  whole  story  were  told. 

"Why,  then  I  got  a  job  on  the  Houston  Post,  I  had  a  daily 
column,  for  which  I  received  $15 — a  week.  Within  two  weeks  my 
salary  was  jumped  $5,  and  two  weeks  later  it  was  raised  to  $25  a  week. 
That  impressed  me  as  quite  munificent.  But  the  editor  said  to  me 
one  day:  'My  boy,  within  five  years  you'll  be  earning  a  hundred 
dollars  a  week  on  a  New  York  newspaper.' 

"What  preparation  did  I  have  for  this  work?  An  academy  edu 
cation  and  books.  I  did  more  reading  between  my  thirteenth  and 
nineteenth  years  than  I  have  done  in  all  the  years  since.  And  my 
taste  was  much  better  then.  I  used  to  read  nothing  but  classics. 
Burton's  'Anatomy  of  Melancholy'  and  Lane's  'Arabian  Nights'  were 
my  favorites. 

"As  a  youngster  I  always  had  an  intense  desire  to  be  an  artist.  It 
wasn't  until  I  was  21  that  I  developed  the  idea  that  I'd  like  to  write. 
After  about  a  year  on  the  Houston  Post  I  got  an  opportunity  to  exer 
cise  both  of  these  artistic  yearnings.  Brann  had  been  publishing  his 
Iconoclast  at  Houston  and  failed.  I  bought  out  the  whole  plant, 
name  and  all,  for  $250,  and  started  a  ten-page  weekly  story  paper. 
Being  an  editor,  I  of  course  resigned  from  the  Post.  The  stories 
were  mostly  humorous.  The  editor  did  most  of  the  writing  and  all 
the  illustrating.  Meanwhile  Brann  had  gone  to  Waco.  He  wrote 
and  asked  if  I  wouldn't  let  him  have  his  Iconoclast  title  back.  I 
didn't  think  much  of  it  and  let  him  have  it.  My  paper  was  accord 
ingly  christened  The  Rolling  Stone.  It  rolled  for  about  a  year  and 
then  showed  unmistakable  signs  of  getting  mossy.  Moss  and  I  never 
were  friends,  and  so  I  said  good-bye  to  The  Rolling  Stone." 

"And  after  The  Rolling  Stone?" 

"Then  a  friend  of  mine  who  had  a  little  money — wonderful  thing 
that,  isn't  it,  a  friend  with  a  little  money — suggested  that  I  join  him 

18 


in  a  trip  to  Central  America,  whither  he  was  going  with  the  intention 
of  entering  the  fruit  business.  Well,  it  takes  a  long  time  and  costs  a 
lot  of  money  to  learn  how  the  little  banana  grows.  We  didn't  have 
quite  enough  of  the  latter,  and  so  never  did  learn  the  whole  secret  ot 
the  banana's  development. 

"See  any  revolutions?  No,  but  I  discovered  plenty  of  the  finest 
rum  you  ever  tasted.  Most  of  the  time  I  spent  in  knocking  around 
among  the  Consuls  and  the  refugees. 

"The  banana  plantation  faded  into  nothing;  I  drifted  back  to 
Texas.  In  Austin  I  got  a  job  in  a  drug  store.  That  was  a  rotten  two 
weeks.  They  made  me  draw  soda  water,  and  I  gave  up." 

"And  after  the  two  weeks  at  the  soda  fountain,  then  what?" 

"Let  me  see:  after  the  soda  water  I  think  there  came  the  highball 
stage.  I  went  to  New  Orleans  and  took  up  literary  work  in  earnest. 
I  sent  stories  to  newspapers,  weeklies,  and  magazines  all  over  the 
country.  Rejections?  Lordy,  I  should  say  I  did  have  rejections,  but  I 
never  took  them  to  heart.  I  just  stuck  new  stamps  on  the  stories  and 
sent  them  out  again.  And  in  their  journeyings  to  and  fro  all  the  stories 
finally  landed  in  offices  where  they  found  a  welcome.  I  can  say  that 
I  never  wrote  anything  that,  sooner  or  later,  hasn't  been  accepted. 

"As  for  rejections,  take  'The  Emancipation  of  Billy,'  as  good  a 
story  as  I  ever  wrote — it  was  rejected  no  less  than  thirteen  times. 
But,  like  all  the  rest,  it  finally  landed. 

"It  was  during  these  New  Orleans  days  that  I  adopted  my  pen 
name.  I  said  to  a  friend: 'I  am  going  to  send  out  some  stuff.  I  don't 
know  if  it  amounts  to  much,  so  I  want  to  get  a  literary  alias.  Help 
me  pick  out  a  good  one.'  He  suggested  that  we  get  a  newspaper  and 
pick  a  name  from  the  first  list  of  notables  that  we  found  in  it.  In  the 
society  columns  we  found  the  account  of  a  fashionable  ball.  'Here 
we  have  our  notables,'  said  he.  We  looked  down  the  list  and  my  eye 
lighted  on  the  name  Henry.  'That'll  do  for  a  last  name,'  said  I. 
'Now  for  a  first  name.  I  want  something  short.  None  of  your 
three-syllable  names  for  me.'  'Why  don't  you  use  a  plain  initial, 
then?'  asked  my  friend.  'Good,'  said  I;  'O  is  about  the  easiest  letter 
written,  and  O  it  is.' 

"A  newspaper  once  wrote  and  asked  me  what  the  O  stands  for.  I 
replied,  'O  stands  for  Olivier,  the  French  for  Oliver.'  And  several  of 
my  stories  accordingly  appeared  in  that  paper  under  the  name  Olivier 
Henry. 

19 


"After  drifting  about  the  country,  I  finally  came  to  New  York 
about  eight  years  ago.  I  have  Oilman  Hall,  then  the  editor  of 
Ainslee's  Magazine,  to  thank  for  this  fortunate  step.  He  wrote  me, 
saying  that  if  I  would  come  to  New  York  he  would  agree  to  take 
$1,200  worth  of  stories  annually  at  the  rate  of  a  hundred  dollars  a 
story.  This  was  at  a  time  when  my  name  had  no  market  value. 

"Yes,  since  I  came  to  New  York  my  prices  have  gone  up.  I  now 
get  $750  for  a  story  that  I  would  have  been  glad  to  get  $75  for  in  my 
Pittsburgh  days. 

"  Editors  are  just  like  other  merchants — they  want  to  buy  at  lowest 
prices.  A  few  years  ago  I  was  selling  stories  to  a  certain  magazine  at 
the  rate  of  five  cents  a  word.  I  thought  there  was  a  chance  that  I 
might  get  more,  so  I  boldly  asked  the  editor  for  ten  cents.  'All 
right,'  said  he,  'I'll  pay  it.'  He  was  just  waiting  to  be  asked." 

"What  advice  would  you  give  to  young  writers?" 

"I'll  give  you  the  whole  secret  of  short-story  writing.  Here  it  is. 
Rule  i :  Write  stories  that  please  yourself.  There  is  no  Rule  2.  The 
technical  points  you  can  get  from  Bliss  Perry.  If  you  can't  write  a 
story  that  pleases  yourself  you'll  never  please  the  public.  But  in 
writing  the  story  forget  the  public. 

"  I  get  a  story  thoroughly  in  mind  before  I  sit  down  at  my  writing 
table.  Then  I  write  it  out  quickly;  and,  without  revising  it,  mail  it  to 
the  editor.  In  this  way  I  am  able  to  judge  my  stories  as  the  public 
judges  them.  I've  seen  stories  in  print  that  I  wouldn't  recognize  as 
my  own. 

"  Yes,  I  get  dry  spells.  Sometimes  I  can't  turn  out  a  thing  for  three 
months.  When  one  of  these  spells  comes  on,  I  quit  trying  to  work 
and  go  out  and  see  something  of  life.  You  can't  write  a  story  that's 
got  any  life  in  it  by  sitting  at  a  writing  table  and  thinking.  You've 
got  to  get  out  into  the  streets,  into  the  crowds,  talk  with  people,  and 
feel  the  rush  and  throb  of  real  life — that's  the  stimulant  for  a  story 
writer. 

"When  I  first  came  to  New  York  I  spent  a  great  deal  of  time  knock 
ing  around  the  streets.  I  did  things  then  that  I  wouldn't  think  of 
doing  now.  I  used  to  walk  at  all  hours  of  the  day  and  night  along  the 
river  fronts,  through  Hell's  Kitchen,  down  the  Bowery,  dropping  into 
all  manner  of  places,  and  talking  with  any  one  who  would  hold  con 
verse  with  me.  I  have  never  met  any  one  but  what  I  could  learn 
something  from  him;  he's  had  some  experiences  that  I  have  not  had; 

20 


he  sees  the  world  from  his  own  viewpoint.  If  you  go  at  it  in  the  right 
way  the  chances  are  that  you  can  extract  something  of  value  from  him. 

"  People  say  I  know  New  York  well.  Just  change  Twenty-third 
Street  in  one  of  my  New  York  stories  to  Main  Street,  rub  out  the 
Flatiron  Building  and  put  in  the  Town  Hall,  and  the  story  will  fit 
just  as  truly  in  any  up-State  town.  At  least,  I  hope  this  can  be  said 
of  my  stories.  So  long  as  a  story  is  true  to  human  nature  all  you  need 
do  is  change  the  local  color  to  make  it  fit  any  town,  North,  East, 
South  or  West.  If  you  have  the  right  kind  of  an  eye — the  kind  that 
can  disregard  high  hats,  cutaway  coats  and  trolley  cars — you  can  see 
all  the  characters  in  the  'Arabian  Nights'  parading  up  and  down 
Broadway  at  mid-day. 

"And  now  will  you  please  publish  to  a  waiting  world  the  news  that 
Mr.  O.  Henry  is  in  a  hopeful  mood,  that  he  expects  to  do  better  in  the 
future?" 

"Any  plans  to  announce?" 

"Yes;  you  may  say  that  I  am  now  at  work  upon  my  first  novel. 
It  will  be  published  in  the  Fall.  In  this  connection  you  may  quote 
me  as  saying  that  it  is  going  to  be  a  good  one.  I've  always  had  a 
desire  for  style.  In  this  novel  I'm  going  to  give  particular  attention 
to  style,  also  to  character  and  plot.  These  really  are  the  essential 
things  in  a  novel.  Tell  the  world  that  this  novel  will  be  worth  a 
dollar  and  a  half  of  any  man's  money." 

I  have  never  yet  seen  an  O.  Henry  anecdote  that  gives  any  hint 
that  on  occasion  he  had  the  gift  of  injecting  acidity  into  his  humor. 
At  the  close  of  our  interview,  however,  he  revealed  the  fact  that  he 
possessed  a  sting. 

The  Sunday  editor  of  the  Times  had  sent  an  "artist"  with  me,  to 
make  some  sketches  of  O.  Henry.  Now  this  artist's  ability  at  por 
traiture  was  limited  to  using  a  "spatter-brush"  on  a  photograph  and 
making  it  look  like  a  pen-and-ink  drawing. 

Perhaps  it  was  vanity,  perhaps  it  was  his  impersonal  interest  in 
sketching,  but  whatever  it  was  that  prompted  him,  O.  Henry,  when 
the  interview  was  finished  and  we  were  all  standing  up,  said: 

"Let  me  see  what  you  got." 

The  artist  showed  him  his  gleanings — a  few  crude,  amateurish  out 
lines. 

O.  Henry  glanced  at  them  for  a  surprised  moment,  his  only  com 
ment  being  an  eloquent  silence. 

21 


I  had  been  watching  for  an  opportunity  to  make  a  request  and  this 
seemed  like  a  heaven-sent  moment. 

"The  Sunday  editor  wants  to  know,"  said  I,  "if  you  won't  make  a 
sketch  of  yourself  for  us  to  illustrate  this  interview  with." 

"Why,  you  see,  I've  already  refused  to  do  that  for  Cosgrave" 
(then  the  editor  of  Everybody's  Magazine)  "and  if  I  did  it  for  you. 
it  would  put  me  in  Dutch  with  Cosgrave.  But  I'll  tell  you  what  I 
will  do:  I'll  draw  a  little  sketch  of  you." 

How  many  times  since  then  have  I  kicked  myself  for  squandering 
that  chance  for  a  golden  souvenir.  But  a  newspaperman  upon  an 
assignment  is  animated  by  a  certain  zest — the  more  difficult  his 
assignment,  the  more  he  glories  in  reporting  to  his  "boss":  "I  got 
what  you  sent  me  to  get."  If  O.  Henry  had  refused  to  draw  a  sketch 
of  himself  for  Everybody's  Magazine,  the  more  anxious  was  I  to  get 
him  to  draw  one  for  the  Times. 

And  so  I  urged  that  the  sketch  would  just  round  out  the  interview. 
But  in  the  midst  of  my  urging,  up  stepped  the  artist  (whose  features, 
by  the  way,  proclaimed  him  a  man  not  remarkable  for  his  self- 
effacement)  saying:  "Draw  a  picture  of  me,  Mr.  O.  Henry." 

Without  a  word,  O.  Henry  took  the  proffered  pencil  and  paper,  drew 
just  one  quick  line,  and,  still  without  a  word,  handed  pencil  and 
paper  back.  That  one  line  portrayed  the  artist's  profile:  the  re 
semblance  was  there,  but  the  features  suggesting  self-assertion  were 
grotesquely  magnified.  It  was  a  clever  piece  of  caricature;  but 
I  don't  think  the  artist  somehow  or  other  quite  appreciated  its 
cleverness. 

I  shall  never  forget  his  expression  as  he  said:  "Oh,  thank  you,  Mr. 
O.  Henry,  thank  you  very  much." 

That,  of  course,  ended  all  talk  of  sketches. 

As  the  artist  and  I  walked  along  Twenty-sixth  Street,  toward 
Broadway,  a  somewhat  long  silence  was  broken  by  this  apparently 
irrelevant  question: 

"Say,  Mac,  is  this  O.  Henry  so  much  of  an  author?" 

After  the  submission  of  the  galley  proofs,  I  only  met  O.  Henry 
once.  I  was  accompanying  another  Times  man  who  had  an  appoint 
ment  to  interview  Paul  Dana  at  his  home  at  6:30  p.  M.  It  was  pay 
day  in  the  Times  office,  and  the  traditional  rites  (now  fallen  into  sad 
disuse)  had  been  duly  observed.  It  was  because  of  this  that  my 
friend  thought  it  would  be  a  good  idea  for  me  to  go  along  as  assistant 

22 


interviewer.  On  the  platform  of  the  "L"  station  at  Forty-second 
Street  and  Sixth  Avenue,  we  ran  into  O.  Henry.  We  were  all  getting 
off  at  the  Eighth  Street  station;  and  O.  Henry  readily  adjourned  with 
us  to  the  backroom  of  the  old  Columbia  Garden,  No.  5  Greenwich 
Avenue,  just  across  the  street  from  Jefferson  Market. 

It  was  not  until  long  afterward,  in  a  casual  talk  with  Charles  S. 
Pratt  who  for  some  thirty-odd  years  has  kept  open  house  for  book- 
lovers  in  his  little  shop  on  Sixth  Avenue,  just  a  few  blocks  north 
from  Jefferson  Market,  that  I  learned  that  Columbia  Garden  was  the 
place  where  John  Masefield,  "The  Sailor  Poet,"  when  he  landed  in 
New  York,  in  1896,  stone  broke,  got  the  job  of  saloon  choreman — a 
job  that  he  held  only  a  few  days,  however,  for  the  proprietor,  Luke 
O'Connor,  recognizing  ability,  quickly  promoted  him  to  assistant 
bartender.  Masefield  earned  his  living  here  during  his  first  four 
months  in  America. 

1  do  not  recall  how  long  we  sat  at  that  little  round  table.  Of  what 
was  said,  only  two  things  remain  in  my  memory. 

The  talk  turned  to  characters  that  one  encounters,  or  rather  that 
one  used  to  encounter,  in  New  York.  I  asked: 

"Did  you  ever  meet  Fred,  the  Great  and  Only  Fred?" 

"No." 

"Well,  Fred  is  a  bartender  in  a  little  place  just  off  Park  Row. 
Bartending  is  a  profession  with  him.  He  knows  liquors  as  a  doctor 
knows  his  drugs,  and  his  patrons  regard  him  in  the  same  light.  They 
go  in  and  say:  'Fred,  I'm  all  in  this  morning.  Give  me  a  bracer.' 
Then  Fred  asks:  'Just  out  of  sorts,  hang-over,  or  what?'  The 
trouble  told,  Fred  begins — a  dash  from  this  bottle,  a  squirt  from 
another — and  finally  the  most  wonderful  new-life  beverage  is  standing 
before  you  on  the  buffet  bar.  But  Fred  himself  has  never  swallowed 
a  drop  of  liquor.  He  has  only  taken  it  in  his  mouth,  ascertained  the 
taste  for  professional  purposes,  and  then  spat  it  out.  His  big  interest  in 
life  is  music.  It's  the  only  thing  he  really  enjoys  talking  about.  In 
the  evenings,  he  goes  regularly  to  the  opera  during  the  season;  and  on 
Sundays,  after  his  six  days  of  bartending,  he  sings  in  a  church  choir." 

"I'd  like  very  much  to  meet  him,"  said  the  author  who,  since 
success  had  come  to  him,  spent  considerable  time  inventing  excuses 
and  devising  stratagems  by  which  he  could  dodge  invitations  to  meet 
or  to  dine  with  society  lion-chasers. 

And  there  we  were,  talking  of  Fred,  the  Great  and  Only  Fred, 

23 


when  perhaps  at  that  very  moment  another  unique  character  was 
within  eye-shot — Luke  O'Connor,  the  saloonkeeper  who  hired  a 
poet. 

Later,  the  talk  switched  to  city  life  as  a  newspaperman  sees  it. 

"Why  not  meet  me  some  night,"  I  suggested,  "and  I'll  take  you 
around  and  give  you  a  glimpse  of  it?" 

"All  right,"  answered  O.  Henry.  "Then  some  night  I'll  take  you 
around  and  show  you  New  York  as  I  know  it." 

Think  of  the  story  that  could  have  been  woven  out  of  those  two 
nights!  I  regret  to  confess  it — I  let  the  opportunity  slip.  I  was 
always  "going  to"  telephone  O.  Henry  and  arrange  a  meeting. 
And  then,  one  morning,  the  newspapers  brought  us  the  sudden  tid 
ings  of  sorrow. 

There  is  an  O.  Henry  incident  that  should  not  be  lost.  So  far  as  I 
know,  it  has  never  before  appeared  in  print.  The  author  was  buried 
from  the  Little  Church  Around  the  Corner.  By  some  strange  mis 
chance,  a  marriage  ceremony  was  scheduled  for  the  same  hour.  The 
error  was  not  discovered  until  the  wedding  and  the  funeral  party 
reached  the  church.  Happiness  yielded  to  sorrow,  the  little  wedding 
party  retiring  to  the  Consistory  Room  until  the  funeral  service  had 
taken  place.  It  was  just  such  a  tangling  of  the  light  with  the  dark 
thread  of  life  that  one  finds  in  so  many  of  O.  Henry's  stories. 

By  way  of  explanation 

Since  the  publication  of  my  article  in  The  New  York  Times 
Book  Review  and  Magazine,  I  have  been  gently  taken  to  task  for 
the  statement  in  the  last  paragraph:  "So  far  as  I  know,  it"  (the 
incident  of  the  conflict  in  the  hour  appointed  for  funeral  and  for 
wedding)  "has  never  before  appeared  in  print." 

I  attended  the  funeral  of  O.  Henry,  meeting  Mr.  Steger,  ac 
cording  to  appointment,  outside  the  church.  Before  going  in  to 
the  funeral  service,  Mr.  Steger,  who  had  arrived  first,  told  me 
that  a  marriage  ceremony  had  been  scheduled  for  the  same  hour 
and  that  the  bride  and  groom  had  yielded  precedence  to  the  dead. 

That  was  the  first  and  last  mention  I  heard  of  this  touching 
little  incident  until  several  days  after  the  publication  of  my  article. 
Then,  Mr.  Christopher  Morley,  in  his  column,  "The  Bowling 
Green,"  in  the  New  York  Evening  Post,  called  attention  to  the 
fact  that  the  episode  "was  told  (a  little  differently)  by  Richard 
Duffy  in  that  series  of  reminiscences  ('Little  Pictures  of  O. 
Henry')  that  appeared  some  years  ago  in  the  Bookman." 

A  few  days  later,  Dr.  George  W.  Douglas  of  the  Philadelphia 

24 


Evening  Public  Ledger,  pointed  out  that  Mabel  Wagnalls  in 
"Letters  to  Lithopolis,"  gives  a  description  of  O.  Henry's  funeral. 
This  same  fact  that  Mabel  Wagnalls  had  preceded  me  in  putting 
into  print  the  incident  of  the  funeral  and  the  wedding,  was  also 
brought  under  notice  by  Edwin  Markham  in  a  letter  to  The  New 
York  Times  Book  Review  and  Magazine.  A  number  of  those 
who  wrote  me  personally  in  reference  to  my  article,  also  made 
mention  of  this  same  fact. 

I  have  just  read  Mabel  Wagnalls'  description  of  the  funeral, 
and  my  memory  of  that  ceremony  differs  quite  materially  from 
her  description  of  it.  Mr.  Morley  is  right,  we  ought  "to  get  the 
record  quite  straight."  Following  his  suggestion,  I  am  endeavor 
ing  to  trace  the  bride  and  groom,  and  hope  that  before  long  I 
shall  be  able  to  tell  the  complete  story  of  this  episode  that  has 
aroused  so  much  interest. 


LITTLE  PICTURES  OF  O.   HENRY 

By  ARTHUR  W.  PAGE 
I  —  BORN  AND  "RAISED"  IN  NO'TH  CA'LINA 

"  The  hero  of  the  story  will  be  a  man  born  and  'raised'  in  a  somnolent 
little  Southern  town.  His  education  is  about  a  common  school,  but 
bf  learns  afterward  from  reading  and  life.  I'm  going  to  try  to  give 
him  a  style  in  narrative  and  speech  —  the  best  I've  got  in  the  shop." 

These  words  are  O.  Henry's  own. 

I 

IN  Greensboro,  North  Carolina,  at  the  time  of  Will  Porter's  youth 
there  were  four  classes  of  people:  decent  white  folks,  jnean  white 
folks,  decent  "niggers"  and  mean  "niggers."  Will  Porter  and  his 
people  belonged  to  the  first  class.  During  the  time  that  he  was 
growing  up  there  were  about  twenty-five  hundred  people  in  Greens 
boro.  It  was  a  simple  democratic  ttttle  place  with  rather  more 
intellectual  ambitions  than  most  places  of  its  size,  but  without  the 
hum  of  modern  industry  which  the  cotton  mills  have  latterly  brought 
to  it  or  the  great  swarm  of  eager  students  that  now  flock  to  the 
State  Normal  School. 

In  this  quiet  and  pleasant  community  William  Sydney  Porter 
grew  up.  Algernon  Sidney  Porter,  his  Bather,  was  a  doctor  of 
skill  and  distinction,  who  in  late  life  practised  his  profession  Httle; 
but  worked  upon  many  inventions.  His  mother  is  said  to  have 
written  poetry  and  her  father  was  at  one  time  editor  of  the  Greens 
boro  Patriot.  A  President,  a  planter,  a  banker,  a  blacksmith, 
a  short-story  writer  or  a  sailor  might  any  of  them  have  such  for 
bears  as  these. 

If  any  dependence  can  be  laid  upon  early  "influences"  that  affect 
an  author's  work,  in  O.  Henry's  case  we  must  certainly  consider 
Aunt  "Lina"  Porter.  She  attended  to  his  bringing  up  at  home 
and  he  attended  her  instruction  at  school.  His  mother  died  when 
Will  Porter  was  very  young,  and  his  aunt,  Miss  Evelina  Porter, 

26 


ran  the  Porter  household  as  well  as  the  school  next  door,  and  a 
most  remarkable  school  it  was. 

Porter's  desk-mate  in  that  school,  Tom  Tate,  not  long  ago  wrote 
the  following  account,  for  his  niece  to  read: 

"Miss  Porter  was  a  maiden  lady  and  conducted  a  private  school 
of  West  Market  Street,  in  Greensboro,  adjoining  the  Porter  resi 
dence.  Will  was  educated  there,  and  this  was  his  whole  school 
education  (with  the  exception  of  a  term  or  two  at  graded  school). 
There  was  a  great  deal  more  learned  in  this  little  one-story,  one- 
roomed  school-house  than  the  three  R's.  It  was  the  custom  of 
'Miss  Lina,'  as  every  one  called  her,  during  the  recess  hour  to  read 
aloud  to  those  of  her  scholars  who  cared  to  hear  her,  and  there  was 
always  a  little  group  around  her  chair  listening.  She  selected  good 
books,  and  a  great  many  of  her  old  scholars  showed  the  impress  of 
these  little  readings  in  after  life.  On  Friday  night  there  was  a 
gathering  of  the  scholars  at  her  home,  and  those  were  good  times, 
too.  They  ate  roasted  chestnuts,  popped  corn  or  barbecued  quail 
and  rabbits  before  the  big  open  wood  fire  in  her  room.  There  was 
always  a  book  to  read  or  a  story  to  be  told.  Then  there  was  a 
game  of  story-telling,  one  of  the  gathering  would  start  the  story 
and  each  one  of  the  others  was  called  on  in  turn  to  add  his  quota 
until  the  end.  Miss  Una's  and  Will's  were  always  interesting. 
In  the  summer  time  there  were  picnics  and  fishing  expeditions;  in 
the  autumn  chinquapin  and  hickory  gatherings;  and  in  the  spring 
wild-flower  hunts,  all  personally  conducted  by  Miss  Lina. 

"During  these  days  Will  showed  decided  artistic  talent,  and  it 
was  predicted  that  he  would  follow  in  the  footsteps  of  his  kinsman, 
Tom  Worth,  the  cartoonist,  but  the  literary  instinct  was  there,  too, 
and  the  quaint  dry  humor  and  the  keen  insight  into  the  peculiar 
ities  of  human  nature. 

"The  boys  of  the  school  were  divided  in  two  clubs,  the  Brickbats 
and  the  Union  Jacks.  The  members  of  the  Union  Jacks  were 
Percy  Gray,  Will  Porter,  Jim  Doak  and  Tom  Tate,  three  of  whom 
died  before  reaching  middle  age.  Tom  Tate  is  the  sole  survivor 
of  this  little  party  of  four. 

"This  club  had  headquarters  in  an  outbuilding  on  the  grounds 
of  the  old  Edgeworth  Female  College,  which  some  years  previously 
had  been  destroyed  by  fire.  In  this  house  they  kept  their  arms 
and  accoutrements,  consisting  of  wooden  battle-axes,  shields,  and 

27 


old  cavalry  sabres,  and  on  Friday  nights  it  was  their  custom  to  sally 
forth  armed  and  equipped  in  search  of  adventure,  like  knights  of 
old  from  their  castle,  carefully  avoiding  the  dark  nooks  where  the 
moonlight  did  not  fall.  Will  was  the  leading  spirit  in  these  daring 
pursuits,  and  many  was  the  hair-raising  adventure  these  ten-year- 
old  heroes  encountered,  and  the  shields  and  battle-axes  were  oft- 
times  thrown  aside  so  as  not  to  impede  the  free  action  of  the  nether 
limbs  when  safety  lay  only  in  flight.  Ghosts  were  of  common  oc 
currence  in  those  days,  or  rather  nights,  and  arms  were  useless  to 
cope  with  the  supernatural;  it  took  good  sturdy  legs. 

"After  the  short  school-days  Porter  found  employment  as  pre 
scription  clerk  in  the  drugstore  of  his  uncle,  Clarke  Porter,  and  it 
was  there  that  his  genius  as  an  artist  and  writer  budded  forth  and 
gave  the  first  promise  of  the  work  of  after  years.  The  old  Porter 
drugstore  was  the  social  club  of  the  town  in  those  days.  A  game 
of  chess  went  on  in  the  back  room  always,  and  around  the  old  stove 
behind  the  prescription  counter  the  judge,  the  colonel,  the  doctor 
and  other  local  celebrities  gathered  and  discussed  affairs  of  state, 
the  fate  of  nations  and  other  things  and  incidentally  helped  them 
selves  to  liberal  portions  of  Clarke's  Vini  Gallaci  or  smoked  his 
cigars  without  money  and  without  price.  There  were  some  rare 
characters  who  gathered  around  that  old  stove,  some  queer  per 
sonalities,  and  Porter  caught  them  and  transferred  them  to  paper 
by  both  pen  and  pencil  in  an  illustrated  comedy  satire  that  was  his 
first  public  literary  and  artistic  effort, 

"When  this  was  read  and  shown  around  the  stove  the  picture 
was  so  true  to  life  and  caught  the  peculiarities  of  the  dramatis 
personae  so  aptly  it  was  some  time  before  the  young  playwright  was 
on  speaking  terms  with  some  of  his  old  friends.  'Alias  Jimmy 
Valentine's'  hit  is  history  now,  but  I  doubt  if  at  any  time  there  was 
a  more  genuine  tribute  to  Porter's  ability  than  from  the  audience 
around  the  old  stove,  behind  the  prescription  counter  nearly  thirty 
years  ago. 

"In  those  days  Sunday  was  a  day  of  rest,  and  Porter  with  a  friend 
would  spend  the  long  afternoons  out  on  some  sunny  hillside  shel 
tered  from  the  wind  by  the  thick  brown  broom  sedge,  lying  on  their 
backs  gazing  up  into  the  blue  sky  dreaming,  planning,  talking  or 
turning  to  their  books,  reading.  He  was  an  ardent  lover  of  God's 
great  out-of-doors,  a  dreamer,  a  thinker  and  a  constant  reader.  He 

28 


was  such  a  man  —  true-hearted  and  steadfast  to  those  he  cared  for. 
"as  gentle  and  sensitive  as  a  woman,  retiring  to  a  fault   pnrp,  rlean 

and  honorable." 

In  these  characteristics  Will  Porter  followed  in  his  father's  foot 
steps.  It  was  a  saying  in  Greensboro  that  if  there  were  cushioned 
seats  in  Heaven  old  Dr.  Porter  would  have  one,  because  of  his 
charity  and  goodness  to  the  poor.  And  there  was  an  active  sym 
pathy  between  the  old  man  and  his  son.  The  old  gentleman  on 
cold  stormy  nights  when  his  boy  was  late  getting  home  from  the 
drugstore  always  had  a  roaring  wood  fire  for  him,  and  a  pot  of  cof 
fee  and  potatoes  and  eggs  warming  in  the  fire  for  his  midnight 
supper. 

His  pencil  was  busy  most  of  the  time,  if  not  with  writing,  with 
drawing.  He  was  a  famous  cartoonist.  There  are  several  versions 
of  the  story  about  him  and  an  important  customer  at  his  uncle's 
store.  Young  Porter  did  not  remember  the  customer's  name,  but 
when  the  man  asked  him  to  charge  some  articles  he  did  not  wish 
to  admit  his  ignorance.  So  he  put  down  the  items  and  drew  a  pic 
ture  of  the  customer.  His  uncle  had  no  difficulty  in  recognizing  the 
likeness. 

In  1881  Dr.  and  Mrs.  J.  K.  Hall  went  to  Texas  to  visit  their  sons, 
Richard  and  Lee  Hall,  of  Texas-ranger  fame,  and  Will  Porter  was 
sent  with  them,  because  it  was  thought  that  the  close  confinement 
in  the  drugstore  was  undermining  his  health.  He  never  again 
lived  in  Greensboro,  but  Greensboro  was  never  altogether  out  of  his 
mind.  Many  years  later,  when  he  was  living  in  New  York,  he  wrote 
this  account  of  himself  —  an  account  which  gives  an  inkling  of  the 
whimsical  charm  of  the  man  and  his  fondness  for  the  old  life  in  the 
old  land  of  his  birth. 

"I  was  born  and  raised  in  'No'th  Ca'lina'  and  at  eighteen  went 
to  Texas  and  ran  wild  on  the  prairies.  Wild  yet,  but  not  so  wild. 
Can't  get  to  loving  New  Yorkers.  Live  all  alone  in  a  great  big 
two  rooms  on  quiet  old  Irving  Place  three  doors  from  Wash.  Irving's 
old  home.  Kind  of  lonesome.  Was  thinking  lately  (since  the  April 
moon  commenced  to  shine)  how  I'd  like  to  be  down  South,  where 
I  could  happen  over  to  Miss  Ethel's  or  Miss  Sallie's  and  sit  on  the 
porch  —  not  on  a  chair  —  on  the  edge  of  the  porch,  and  lay  my  straw 
hat  on  the  steps  and  lay  my  head  back  against  the  honeysuckle  on 
the  post  —  and  just  talk.  And  Miss  Ethel  would  go  in  directly 

29 


(they  say  presently  up  here)  and  bring  out  the  guitar.  She  would 
complain  that  the  E  string  was  broken,  but  no  one  would  believe 
her*  and  pretty  soon  all  of  us  would  be  singing  the  'Swanee  River' 
and  'In  the  Evening  by  the  Moonlight'  and  —  oh,  gol  darn  it, 
what's  the  use  of  wishing." 

PART  II  —  TEXAN  DAYS 

WILL  PORTER  found  a  new  kind  of  life  in  Texas  —  a  life  that  filled 
his  mind  with  that  rich  variety  of  types  and  adventures  which  later 
was  translated  into  his  stories.  Here  he  got  —  from  observation, 
and  not  from  experience,  as  has  often  been  said,  for  he  was  never  a 
cowboy  —  the  originals  of  his  Western  characters  and  Western 
scenes.  He  looked  on  at  the  more  picturesque  life  about  him 
ra_tj^jhjji_jliar£d_inJl;  though  through  his  warm  sympathy  and 
his  vivid  imagination  he  entered  into  its  spirit  as  completely  as  any 
one  who  had  fully  lived  its  varied  parts. 

It  was  while  he  was  living  on  the  Hall  ranch,  to  which  he  had 
gone  in  search  of  health,  that  he  wrote  —  and  at  once  destroyed  — 
his  first  stories  of  Western  life.  And  it  was  there,  too,  that  he  drew 
the  now  famous  series  of  illustrations  for  a  book  that  never  was 
printed.  The  author  of  that  book,  "Uncle  Joe"  Dixon,  was  a  pros 
pector  in  the  bonanza  mining  days  in  Colorado.  Now  he  is  a 
newspaper  editor  in  Florida;  and  he  has  lately  told,  for  the  survivors 
of  Will  Porter's  friends  of  that  period,  the  story  of  the  origin  of 
these  drawings.  His  narrative  illustrates  anew  the  remarkable 
impression  that  Will  Porter's  quaint  and  whimsical  personality 
even  in  his  boyhood,  made  upon  those  who  knew  him. 

Other  friends,  who  knew  him  more  intimately  than  "Uncle  Joe" 
Dixon,  saw  other  sides  of  Will  Porter's  character.  With  them  his 
boyish  love  of  fun  and  of  good-natured  and  sometimes  daredevil 
mischief  came  again  to  the  surface,  as  well  as  those  refinements  of 
feeling  and  manner  that  were  his  heritage  as  one  of  the  "decent 
white  folks"  of  Greensboro.  And  with  them,  too,  came  out  the 
ironical  fate  that  pursued  him  most  of  his  life  —  to  be  a  dreamer  and 
yet  to  be  harnessed  to  tasks  that  brought  his  head  from  the  clouds 
to  the  commonplaces  of  the  store  and  the  street.  Perhaps  it  was 
this  very  bending  of  a  sky-seeking  imagination  to  the  dusty  comedy 
of  every  day  that  brought  him  later  to  see  life  as  he  pictured  it  in 
"The  Four  Million,"  with  its  mingling  of  Caliph  Haroun-al-Ras- 
chid's  romance  with  the  adventures  of  shop-girls  and  restaurant 

30 


keepers.  At  any  rate,  even  the  Texas  of  the  drug-clerk  days  and 
of  the  bank-clerk  period  appealed  to  his  sense  of  the  humorous  and 
romantic  and  grotesque.  Here  is  what  one  intimate  of  those  days 
recalls  of  his  character  and  exploits: 

"Will  Porter,  shortly  after  coming  to  Texas  became  a  member 
of  the  Hill  City  Quartette,  of  Austin,  composed  of  C.  E.  Hillyer, 
R.  H.  Edmundson,  Howard  Long  and  himself.  Porter  was  the 
littlest  man  in  the  crowd,  and,  of  course,  basso  profundo.  He  was 
about  five  feet  six  inches  tall,  weighed  about  one  hundred  and  thirty 
pounds,  had  coal  black  hair,  gray  eyes,  and  a  long,  carefully  twisted 
moustache;  looked  as  though  he  might  be  a  combination  between  the 
French  and  the  Spanish,  and  I  think  he  once  told  me  that  the  blood 
of  the  Huguenot  flowed  in  his  veins.  He  was  one  of  the  most  ac 
complished  gentlemen  I  ever  knew.  His  voice  was  soft  and  mu 
sical,  with  just  enough  rattle  in  it  to  rid  it  of  all  touch  of  effemin 
acy.  Flehadakeen  sense  of  humor,  and  there  were  two  dis- 
tinct  methods  of  address  which  was  characteristic  with  him  —  his 
business  address  and  his  friendly  address.  As  a  business  man,  his 
face  was  calm,  almost  expressionless;  his  demeanor  was  steady,  even 
calculated.  He  always  worked  for  a  high  class  of  employers,  was 
never  wanting  for  a  position,  and  was  prompt,  accurate,  talented 
and  very  efficient;  but  the  minute  he  was  out  of  business  —  that 
was  all  gone.  He  always  approached  a  friend  with  a  merry  twinkle 
in  his  eye  and  an  expression  which  said:  'Come  on,  boys,  we  are 
going  to  have  a  lot  of  fun,'  and  we  usually  did. 

"  If  W.  S.  P.  at  this  time  had  any  ambitions  as  a  writer,  he  never 
mentioned  it  to  me.  I  do  not  recall  that  he  was  fond  of  reading. 
One  day  I  quoted  some  lines  to  him  from  a  poem  by  John  Alex 
ander  Smith.  He  made  inquiry  about  the  author,  borrowed  the 
book  and  committed  to  memory  a  great  many  passages  from  it, 
but  I  do  not  recall  ever  having  known  him  to  read  any  other  book. 
I  asked  him  one  day  why  he  never  read  fiction.  His  reply  was: 
'That  it  was  all  tame  compared  with  the  romance  in  his  own  life,' 
—  which  was  really  true. 

"In  the  great  railroad  strike  at  Fort  Worth,  Texas,  the  Gover 
nor  called  out  the  State  Militia,  and  the  company  to  which  we  be 
longed  was  sent,  but  as  we  were  permitted  a  choice  in  the  matter, 
Porter  and  I  chose  not  to  go.  In  a  little  while  a  girl  he  was  in  love 
with  went  to  Waco  on  a  visit.  Porter  moped  around  disconsolate 


for  a  few  days,  and  suddenly  said  to  me:  'I  believe  I'll  take  a  visit 
at  the  Government's  expense.'  With  him  to  think  was  to  act.  A 
telegram  was  sent  to  Fort  Worth:  'Capt.  Blank,  Fort  Worth,  Texas. 
Squad  of  volunteers  Company  Blank,  under  my  command  tender 
you  their  services  if  needed.  Reply.'  'Come  next  train,'  Cap 
tain  Blank  commanded.  Upon  reaching  the  depot  no  orders  for 
transportation  of  squad  had  been  received.  Porter  actually  held 
up  the  train  until  he  could  telegraph  and  get  transportation  for  his 
little  squad,  because  the  girl  had  been  notified  that  he  would  be  in 
Waco  on  a  certain  train.  She  afterward  said  that  when  the  train 
pulled  into  Waco  he  was  sitting  on  the  engine  pilot  with  a  gun  across 
his  lap  and  a  distant  glance  at  her  was  all  that  he  got,  but  he  had 
had  his  adventure  and  was  fully  repaid. 

"This  adventure,  is  only  one  of  thousands  of  such  incidents  that 
commonly  occurred  in  his  life.  He  lived  in  an  atmosphere  of  ad 
venture  that  was  the  product  of  his  own  imagination.  He  was  an 
inveterate  story-teller,  seemingly  purely  from  the  pleasure  of  it, 
but  he  never  told  a  vulgar  joke,  and  as  much  as  he  loved  humor 
he  would  not  sacrifice  decency  for  its  sake  and  his  stories  about 
women  were  always  refined. 

"He  told  a  great  many  stories  in  the  first  person.  We  were  often 
puzzled  to  know  whether  they  were  real  or  imaginary,  and  when 
we  made  inquiry  his  stock  reply  was:  'Never  question  the  validity 
of  a  joke.' " 

But  the  lure  of  the  pen  was  getting  too  strong  for  Will  Porter 
to  resist.  Life  as  a  teller  in  the  First  National  Bank  of  Austin  was 
too  routine  not  to  be  relieved  by  some  outlet  for  his  love  of  fun  and 
for  his  creative  literary  instinct.  An  opportunity  opened  to  buy  a 
printing  outfit,  and  he  seized  it  and  used  it  for  a  year  to  issue  the 
Rolling  Stone,  a  weekly  paper  that  suggested  even  then  his  later 
method  as  a  humorist  and  as  a  photographic  portrayer  of  odd  types 
of  humanity.  Dr.  D.  Daniels  —  "  Dixie"  he  was  to  Will  Porter  — 
now  a  dentist  in  Galveston,  Texas,  was  his  partner  in  this  enter 
prise,  and  his  story  of  that  year  of  fun  gives  also  a  picture  of  Will 
Porter's  habit  of  studying  human  nature  at  first  hand  —  a  habit 
that  later  carried  him  into  many  quaint  byways  of  New  York  and 
into  many  even  more  quaint  and  revealing  byways  of  the  human 
heart.  Here  is  Dr.  Daniels's  story: 

"It  was  in  the  spring  of  1894  that  I  floated  into  Austin,"  said  Dan- 

32 


iels,  "and  I  got  a  place  in  the  State  printing  office.  I  had  been  working 
there  for  a  short  time  when  I  heard  that  a  man  named  Porter  had 
bought  out  the  old  Iconoclast  plant  —  known  everywhere  as  Brann's 
Iconoclast  —  and  was  looking  for  a  printer  to  go  into  the  game  with 
him.  I  went  around  to  see  him,  and  that  was  the  first  time  I  met 
O.  Henry.  Porter  had  been  a  clerk  in  the  Texas  Land  Office  and  a 
teller  in  the  First  National  Bank  in  Austin,  and  when  W.  C.  Brann 
went  to  Waco  decided  to  buy  out  his  plant  and  run  a  weekly  hu 
morous  paper. 

"I  talked  things  over  with  him,  the  proposition  looked  good,  and 
we  formed  a  partnership  then  and  there.  We  christened  the  paper 
the  Rolling  Stone  after  a  few  discussions,  and  in  smaller  type  across 
the  full-page  head  we  printed  'Out  for  the  moss.'  Which  is  exactly 
what  we  were  out  for.  Our  idea  was  to  run  this  weekly  with  a  lot 
of  current  events  treated  in  humorous  fashion,  and  also  to  run  short 
sketches,  drawings  and  verse.  I  had  been  doing  a  lot  of  chalk-plate 
work  and  the  specimens  I  showed  seemed  to  make  a  hit  with  Porter. 
Those  chalk-plates  were  the  way  practically  all  of  our  cuts  were 
printed. 

"Porter  was  one  of  the  most  versatile  men  I  had  ever  met.  He 
was  a  fine  singer,  could  write  remarkably  clever  stuff  under  all 
circumstances  and  was  a  good  hand  at  sketching.  And  he  was 
the  best  mimic  I  ever  saw  in  my  life.  He  was  one  of  the  genuine 
democrats  that  you  hear  about  more  often  than  you  meet.  Night 
after  night,  after  we  would  shut  up  shop,  he  would  call  to  me  to 
come  along  and  'go  bumming.'  That  was  his  favorite  expression 
for  the  night-time  prowling  in  which  we  indulged.  We  would 
wander  through  streets  and  alleys,  meeting  with  some  of  the  worst 
specimens  of  down-and-outers  it  has  ever  been  my  privilege  to  see 
at  close  range.  I've  seen  the  most  ragged  specimen  of  a  bum  hold 
up  Porter,  who  would  always  do  anything  he  could  for  the  man. 
His  one  great  failing  was  his  inability  to  say  'No'  to  a  man.  ^ 

"He  never  cared  for  the  so-called  'higher  classes'  but  watched 
the  people  on  the  streets  and  in  the  shops  and  cafes,  getting  his 
ideas  from  them  night  after  night.  I  think  that  it  was  in  this  way 
he  was  able  to  picture  the  average  man  with  such  marvellous  fidelity. 

"Well,  as  I  started  to  say,  we  moved  into  the  old  Iconoclast 
plant,  got  out  a  few  issues,  and  moved  into  the  Brueggerhoff  build 
ing.  The  Rolling  Stone  met  with  unusual  success  at  the  start,  and 

33 


we  had  in  our  files  letters  from  men  like  Bill  Nye  and  John  Kendrick 
Bangs  praising  us  for  the  quality  of  the  sheet.  We  were  doing 
nicely,  getting  the  paper  out  every  Saturday  —  approximately  — 
and^blowing  the  gross  receipts  every  night.  Then  we  began  to  strike 
snags.  One  of  our  features  was  a  series  of  cuts  with  humorous 
underlines  of  verse.  One  of  the  cuts  was  the  rear  view  of  a  fat 
German  professor  leading  an  orchestra,  beating  the  air  wildly  with 
his  baton.  Underneath  the  cut  Porter  had  written  the  following 
verse: 

With  his  baton  the  professor  beats  the  bars, 

'Tis  also  said  beats  them  when  he  treats. 
But  it  made  that  German  gentleman  see  stars 

When  the  bouncer  got  the  cue  to  bar  the  beats. 

"For  some  reason  or  other  that  issue  alienated  every  German  in 
Austin  from  the  Rolling  Stone,  and  cost  us  more  than  we  were  able 
to  figure  out  in  subscriptions  and  advertisements. 

"We  got  out  one  feature  of  the  paper  that  used  to  meet  with  pretty 
general  approval.  It  was  a  page  gotten  up  in  imitation  of  a  back 
woods  country  paper,  and  we  christened  it  'The  Plunkville  Patriot.' 
That  idea  has  been  carried  out  since  then  in  a  dozen  different  forms, 
like  'The  Hogwallow  Kentuckian,'  and  'The  Bingville  Bugle/  to 
give  two  of  the  prominent  examples.  Porter  and  I  used  to  work  on 
this  part  of  the  paper  nights  and  Sundays.  I  would  set  the  type  for 
it,  as  there  was  a  system  to  all  of  the  typographical  errors  that  we 
made,  and  I  couldn't  trust  any  one  else  to  set  it  up  as  we  wanted  it. 

"The  paper  ran  along  for  something  over  a  year,  and  then  was 
discontinued.  Following  the  political  trouble  and  the  other  trou 
bles  in  which  Porter  became  involved,  he  left  the  State.  Some 
time  was  spent  in  Houston;  the  next  stop  was  New  Orleans;  then  he 
jumped  to  South  America,  and  only  returned  to  Texas  for  a  short 
period  before  leaving  the  State  forever.  His  experiences  on  a  West 
Texas  ranch,  in  Texas  cities  and  in  South  America,  however,  gave 
him  a  thorough  insight  into  the  average  run  of  people  whom  he 
pictured  so  vividly  in  his  later  work.  He  was  a  greater  man  than 
any  of  us  knew  when  we  were  with  him  in  the  old  days." 

Ill  —  THE  NEW  YORK  DAYS  —  RICHARD  DUFFY'S  NARRATIVE 

His  coming  to  New  York,  with  the  resolution  "to  write  for 
bread,"  as  he  said  once  in  a  mood  of  acrid  humor,  was  dramatic, 
as  is  a  whisper  compared  to  a  subdued  tumult  of  voices.  I  be- 

34 


O.  HENRY'S 
FATHER 


O   HENRY 
AT  THE 
AGE  OF  6 


THE  ROLLING  STONE.                                                                                                            9 

PAGE  FROM 

THE  PIUNK  v  ILLE  PATRIOT, 

YOL.  XYXI-                            PLUNKVHLE  TEX  APRIL     02TJ    1895 

NO  IXL.. 

THe 

Plunktle  PaTriOt, 

o  o  Published  nnrU  evj-y  Friday,  o 

VICTORY!! 

PeRCHe"  ON  THe  B  A  nncit  of 

IrJBJOHDlN 

PERKINS  HOC-PEN  SQUSAHED 

By  a  Haqeas  corpus  &  an  Axe. 
perkins  Makes  A  Bold  resisltnae  1  ! 
The  HOG  takes  a  Hand  in  the  proce- 

1900  People  on  the  Ground. 

Plunk  ulie,  Adril  1  7fh—  Wednesday 
began  about    daylight,  and  people  on 
horsebace  and  all  kinds  fo  vehicles 
began   to  come  in  town.      The  day 
had  been  advertised  as  t-£  one  when 
we,  ,  as  Mayorshould  lorcibny  remove 
the  disgusting   hog-pen  of  judge  Per- 
eins  that  fronts  along  our  pnnciji 

iiiiis 

nds.    We  netted  over  Ji  *  by  selling 
>rivileges  for  same.                    2SS!i 
After  a  light  breakfast  of  a  bottle  of 
leer  and  a  piece  of  lemon  pei,  'we 
wung  Indian  clvbs  for  10  minutes 
and  then  washed  oui  face  and  careful- 
y  read  ouer  the  Marquis  of  queens- 
bury  'i  rules. 
At  fiv.  minute  to  8  wa  sallied  4th 
n  our  mission  carrying  a  copy  of  the 

in  decidedly  bad  odor,  about  14  han 
d,  high.                                         = 
SJudge  Perkins  sat  on  the  epge  o 
the  pen  barefooned  ;  with  a  long,  sin 
gle  barreled  shot  gun  in  his   hand 
He  was    breathing  hard,  and  his  bi 
toes  were  working  viciously. 
As  we  walked  up  in  front  of  ib 
Judge  there  was  an  intense  silence. 
We  'Ed  the  Revised  Statues  on  a 
peanut  stand,  shifted  ino  aie  rotrhd 
and  lept  an  eye  on  the  Jud'ges  gun. 
•Judge  perkins,"  we  said  in  a  loud 
voice,     "by  the  authority  invested  in 
us  by  the  Commonwealth  ol  Plunk 
vile  and  the  power  oj    the  Press,  we 
commanp  you  to  remove,  takeaway, 
absquatulate    and  dispcrsa   .yourself 
and  aforesaid  hog    coutrary  to  the 
piece  and  dignity      ol  )he  State  ol 
Texas  until  death  youdo  part,  to  help 

you  God  1" 
..Go  to  h—  1!"  says  the  Judge. 
We  were  about  to  spito  n  ovr  hands 
but  paused  finding  our  mouth  too  drX, 
wlien   a  little  fise  dog  |rom  Uie  counr- 
seeini)  the  hogs'  tail  protiudinS  thr- 
ouSh  the  pen,  bit  ofi   about   *  inches 
of  same.  The  hog  9ave  a  squeal  that 
so  startled  the  J  udge  that  he  pulled 
the  IriggeJ  and  his  gun  discharged  toki- 
ing  offhis  left  great  we  and  killing  a  chi 
naman  and  a  poodle,  beloninginj  to 
Mrs;  30!.  Doggett.     We  sprang  for 
ward  with  our  uxe  and  qvickly  sma 
shed  Ihe  boards  of  the  pen.    The  hog 
saw  the       opening  and     remarking 
J'Woof"   in       deep  baritone   voice, 
shot  irhough  the  hole. 
An  eye  witness  tells  us  that  Judge 
Perkins  was  standing  on  one  fool  ab. 
ontto  smash  us  in   the    bocTt'oi  the 
head  with  his  gun  barrel  when  4oclbs 
of  deep  brunettte  hog,  wilh  a  Maud  s. 
escape  movement  passed  between  his 

Mrs'  Col.  Dogget  strusk  th|  Judge 

then  struck  up  Caney  creek  in  a  not* 
westerly  direction. 
We  were  escorted  at  once  to  the 
Elete  by  i  crowd  of  cheering  citizens 
who  bad   witnessed  fthe  downfall  ol 
Monopoly  and   Despotism  in  Plunk- 
vi  |le  .     Pete  Dollinger  made  a  speech 
nominating  us  |fon  Govenor  in  1896, 
but  this  we  consider  a  little  prema 
ture. 
Judge  Perkins  will  be  out  again  in 
about  three  weeks. 

lit  MEMOKIAH. 

going  to  press,  announcing  the  death 
at  our  mother  in  Branchtown,    Ga. 
She  was  the  best  woman  in  the  world, 
and  the  only  being  who  has  loved  and 
taken  any  interest  in  us.    She  wa» 
very  poor,  and  we  have  for  ten  year, 
lent  her  all  our  slender  income  beyond 
our  actual  needs. 
We   know   that  Me  are  uneducated  . 
and  not  a  genius,  having  had  to  work 
hard  since  were  ten  years  ol  age,  but 
*e  have  made  a  big  bluff  and  have  al 
ways  succeeded   in   keeping    her  in 
comfort,   and,  thank  God,  she  always 
believed  in  us.    Our  friends  will  par 
don  us  for  dragging  in  our  personal 
affair,,   but  we  feel  lonely,   and  we 
have  very  little  to  encourage  us  now 

She  always  kept  each  copy  of  this 
,oor  little  paper,  and  read  it  as  if  it 
were  a  fountain  of  the  brightest  wis 
dom,  and  laid  them  away  reverently, 
thinking   her  boX  one  of  the  world's 
pauses. 
We  shall  continue  in  our  line  oi 
duty,  but  a  little  sadly,  for  the  only 
hand   thai  has  ever  pressed  ours  wills 
ove  is  gone,  and  '  the  only  lips  that 
ever,  whispered  words  ol  praise  are. 
silent. 

COL.  AR1STOJ.I.E  JORDAN, 

Office  after   Feb.    1st;  Back  o 
Crimes'    slaughter    pen,   two    doors 
north  ol  Caney  Creek. 

Soblcrrpnonper>ear    -    -    »i.oo 
,'   .«moS    :  ;        .aoo 

.MieUplorcandipates  sc  per  linei 
Obituary  poetry     -        IOC      " 

R.  R.  timetable. 
N  bound   arr.    Plun)|ville  7.15     AM 
••    leaves       .'•     •       7-15,4.." 

Spring  has  come. 

Bib  Tailor  and  Sue  Billings  were  ma 
rriepat  11  a.  M  yestardaX. 
The  affiar  look   place  1u  M.  *  chu 
rch  S  by  *.   W.     The  building  was 
decorated  with  evergreens  and    rases 
over  the   pulpit  wa,  an  immense  bell 
made  oi  ol  hyaoinlhs  g  d  old  band 
boxes.    The  groom  was  backed  up  by 
Pele$chie(fer  BiilWilliams  and  a  i  eye 
a  man  fro*  Pikeville  they  called  cul 
y     Mrs   pendergrast    played  a  dead 
march  on  the  org;n  as  the  gani  didas 
cake  walk  up  the  ile- 
uim  »30Jj  ,Jis  .niqa  «  oo  p«,  aris 
bo«  pleats  and  wsa  the  sinecure  ofall 
eyes.     Bol  had  on  his  usual  Jams  & 
and  his  qrotherfams  ,  Prince  albert 
Tha  happy  couple  bad  a  feed  at  old 
man  Billinges.  and  then  flagged    the 
7:15*  freight  for  a  three  days  bridle 
trip 
Bob  is  rather  trifling  ,and  the  chanc 
es  are  that  old  Billings  «ill  gaina  ton 
n  stead  ol  losing  a  daulgher.     Vax 
IViscnro  1 

PATRO  N1ZE  THE  ELITE  SALOOM 
CoMpearaJwaysontap. 
Back  door  opened  on  3  taps  Sand- 
•  vs.    ' 

ks,  an  axe  and  about  7  cocktails. 
When  we  got  ro  Belle  Meade  Aven- 
e  a  cheer  wenj  up  from  at  least  1900 
people.    All  the-  stores  mera  closed 
nd  the  whole  town  was  theje  to  see 
he  fun  .     The  bog  pen  was  still  there 
ncloiing  a  large,   supercilious  hog, 

ust  as  he  struck  the  sipewalk,  and 
while  she  was  jabmng  him  with  her 
parasol  we  demolishid  the  red  ol  the 

The  bog  upset  Ihe  lemonade  and  beer 
lands,  pied  the  flying  Jeasy  and  the 
High  School  grapuating  class,  and 

Widows  ! 

Send  vour  name,  hijht,  weight,  reach 
ncfces  around  biceps  and  forearm  «t 
14-75,  and  receive  by  return  mail  * 
ictnre  ol  roar  last  husband,  free  I 

O.  HENRY  HIMSELF  ALWAYS  WENT  OVER  THE  TYPE  OF  THIS 
PAGE  (A  FEATURE  OF  THE  ROLLING  STONE)  AND  CAREFULLY 
MADE  THE  RIGHT  KIND  OF  TYPOGRAPHICAL  ERRORS. 


lieve  1  am  correct  in  saying  that  outside  his  immediate  family  few 
were  aware  that  O.  Henry  was  entering  this  "nine-day  town"  ex 
cept  Oilman  Hall,  my  associate  on  Ainslee's  Magazine,  the  pub 
lishers,  Messrs.  Street  and  Smith,  and  myself.  For  some  time 
we  had  been  buying  stories  from  him,  written  in  his  perfect  Spen- 
cerian  copperplate  hand  that  was  to  become  familiar  to  so  many 
editors.  Only  then  he  wrote  always  with  a  pen  on  white  paper, 
whereas  once  he  was  established  in  New  York  he  used  a  lead  pencil 
sharpened  to  a  needle's  point  on  one  of  the  yellow  pads  that  were 
always  to  be  seen  on  his  table.  The  stories  he  published  at  this 
period  were  laid  either  in  the  Southwest  or  in  Central  America, 
and  those  of  the  latter  countries  form  the  bulk  of  his  first  issued 
volume,  "Cabbages  and  Kings."  It  was  because  we  were  sure  of  him 
as  a  writer  that  our  publishers  willingly  advanced  the  cheque  that 
brought  him  to  New  York  and  assured  him  a  short  breathing  spell 
to  look  round  and  settle.  Also,  it  was  because  O.  Henry  wanted 
to  come.  You  could  always  make  him  do  anything  he  wanted  to 
do,  as  he  had  a  way  of  saying,  if  you  were  coaxing  him  into  an  in 
vitation  he  had  no  intention  of  pursuing  into  effect. 

It  was  getting  late  on  a  fine  spring  afternoon  dowrn  at  Duane  and 
William  Streets  when  he  came  to  meet  us.  From  the  outer  gate 
the  boy  presented  a  card  bearing  the  name  William  Sydney  Por 
ter.  I  don't  remember  just  when  we  found  out  that  "O.  Henry" 
was  merely  a  pen-name;  but  think  it  was  during  the  correspondence 
arranging  that  he  come  to  New  York.  I  do  remember,  however, 
that  when  we  were  preparing  our  yearly  prospectus,  we  had  written 
to  him,  asking  that  he  tell  us  what  the  initial  O.  stood  for,  as  we 
wished  to  use  his  photograph  and  preferred  to  have  his  name  in 
full.  It  was  the  custom  and  would  make  his  name  stick  faster  in 
the  minds  of  readers.  With  a  courteous  flourish  of  appreciation 
at  the  honor  we  were  offering  him  in  making  him  known  to  the 
world,  he  sent  us  "Olivier,"  and  so  he  appeared  as  Olivier  Henry 
in  the  first  publishers'  announcement  in  which  his  stories  were  her 
alded.  Later  he  confided  to  us,  smiling,  what  a  lot  of  fun  he  had 
had  in  picking  out  a  first  name  of  sufficient  advertising  effectiveness 
that  began  with  O. 

As  happens  in  these  matters,  whatever  mind  picture  Oilman  Hall 
or  I  had  formed  of  him  from  his  letters,  his  handwriting,  his  stories, 
vanished  before  the  impression  of  the  actual  man.  He  were  a 

37 


dark  suit  of  clothes,  I  recall,  and  a  four-in-hand  tie  of  bright  color. 
He  carried  a  black  derby,  high-crowned,  and  walked  with  a  springy, 
noiseless  step.     To  meet  him  for  the  first  time  you  felt  his  most 
notable  quality  to  be  reticence,  not  a  reticence  of  social  timidity, 
but  a  reticence  of  deliberateness.     If  you  also  were  observing,  you 
would  soon  understand  that  his  reticence  proceeded  from  the  fact 
!  that  civilly  yet  masterfully  he  wa*s  taking  in  every  item  of  the  "you" 
being   presented   to   him   to   the   accompaniment   of  convention's 
phrases  and  ideas,  together  with  the  "you"  behind  this  presentation. 
It  was  because  he  was  able  thus  to  assemble  and  sift  all  the  multi 
farious  elements  of  a  personality  with   sleight-of-hand  swiftness 
/  that  you  find  him]  characterizing  a  person  or  a  neighborhood  in  a 
\  sentence  or  two;  and  once  I  heard  him  .characterize  a  list  of  editors 
'lie  knew  each  in  a  phrase. 

On  his  first  afternoon  in  New  York  we  took  him  on  our  usual  walk 
uptown  from  Duane  Street  to  about  Madison  Square.  That  was 
a  long  walk  for  O.  Henry,  as  any  who  knew  him  may  witness.  An 
other  long  one  was  when  he  walked  about  a  mile  over  a  fairly  high 
hill  with  me  on  zigzag  path  through  autumn  woods.  I  showed  him 
plains  below  us  and  hills  stretching  away  so  far  and  blue  they  look 
like  the  illimitable  sea  from  the  deck  of  an  ocean  liner.  But  it  was  not 
until  we  approached  the  station  from  which  we  were  to  take  the 
train  back  to  New  York  that  he  showed  the  least  sign  of  animation. 
"What's  the  matter,  Bill,"  I  asked,  "I  thought  you'd  like  to  see 
some  real  country."  His  answer  was:  "  Kunn'l,  how  kin  you  expeck 
me  to  appreciate  the  glories  of  nature  when  you  walk  me  over  a 
mounting  like  that  an'  I  got  new  shoes  on?"  Then  he  stood  on 
one  foot  and  on  the  other,  caressing  each  aching  member  for  a  second 
or  two,  and  smiled  with  bashful  knowingness  so  like  him. 

It  was  one  of  his  whimsical  amusements,  I  must  say  here,  to  speak 
in  a  kind  of  country  style  of  English,  as  though  the  English  language 
were  an  instrument  he  handled  with  hesitant  unfamiliarity.  Thus 
it  happened  that  a  woman  who  had  written  to  him  about  his  stories 
and  asked  if  her  "lady  friend"  and  she  might  meet  him,  informed  him 
afterward:  "You  mortified  me  nearly  to  death,  you  talked  so  un- 
grammatical!" 

We  never  knew  just  where  he  stopped  the  first  night  in  New  York, 
beyond  his  statement  that  it  was  at  a  hotel  not  far  from  the  ferry 
en  a  neighborhood  of  so  much  noise  that  he  had  not  been  able  to 

3* 


sleep.  I  suppose  we  were  voluminous  with  suggestions  as  to  where 
he  might  care  to  live,  because  we  felt  we  had  some  knowledge  of 
the  subject  of  board  and  lodging,  and  because  he  was  the  kind  of 
man  you'd  give  your  best  hat  to  on  short  acquaintance,  if  he  needed 
a  hat,  —  but  also  he  was  the  kind  of  man  who  would  get  a  hat  for 
himself.  Within  about  twenty-four  hours  he  called  at  the  office 
again  to  say  that  he  had  taken  a  large  room  in  a  French  table 
d'hote  hotel  in  Twenty-fourth  Street,  between  Broadway  and  Sixth 
Avenue.  Moreover,  he  brought  us  a  story.  In  those  days  he 
was  very  prolific.  He  wrote  not  only  stories,  but  occasional  skits 
and  light  verse.  In  a  single  number  of  Ainslee's,  as  I  remember, 
we  had  three  short  stories  of  his,  one  of  which  was  signed  "O.  Henry" 
and  the  other  two  with  pseudonyms.  Of  the  latter,  "While  the 
Auto  Waits"  was  picked  out  by  several  newspapers  outside  New 
York  as  an  unusually  clever  short  story.  But  as  O.  Henry  natur 
ally  he  appeared  most  frequently,  as  frequently  as  monthly  publi 
cation  allows,  for  to  my  best  recollection,  of  the  many  stories  we 
saw  of  his  there  were  only  three  about  which  we  said  to  him,  we 
would  rather  have  another  instead. 

Still  he  lived  in  West  Twenty-fourth  Street,  although  the  place 
had  no  particular  fascination  for  him.  We  used  to  see  him  every 
other  day  or  so,  at  luncheon,  at  dinner,  or  in  the  evening.  Va 
rious  magazine  editors  began  to  look  up  O.  Henry,  which  was  a 
job  somewhat  akin  to  tracing  a  lost  person.  While  his  work  was 
coming  under  general  notice  rapidly,  he  made  no  effort  to  push 
himself  into  general  acquaintance;  and  all  who  knew  him  when 
he  was  actually  somewhat  of  a  celebrity  should  be  able  to  say  that 
it  was  about  as  easy  to  induce  him  to  "go  anywhere"  to  meet  some 
body  as  it  is  to  have  a  child  take  medicine.  He  was  persuaded 
once  to  be  the  guest  of  a  member  of  the  Periodical  Publishers'  As 
sociation  on  a  sail  up  the  Hudson;  but  when  the  boat  made  a  stop 
at  Poughkeepsie,  O.  Henry  slipped  ashore  and  took  the  first  train 
back  to  New  York.  Yet  he  was  not  unsociable,  but  a  man  that 
liked  a  few  friends  round  him  and  who  dreaded  and  avoided  a  so- 
called  "party"  as  he  did  a  crowd  in  the  subway. 

It  was  at  his  Twenty-fourth  Street  room  that  Robert  H.  Davis, 
then  of  the  staff  of  the  New  York  World,  ran  him  to  cover,  as  it 
were,  and  concluded  a  contract  with  him  to  furnish  one  story  a 
week  for  a  year  at  a  fixed  salary.  It  was  a  gigantic  task  to  face.. 

39 


and  I  have  heard  of  no  other  writer  who  put  the  same  quality  of 
effort  and  material  in  his  work  able  to  produce  one  story  every 
seven  days  for  fifty-two  successive  weeks.  The  contract  was  re 
newed,  1  believe,  and  all  during  this  time  O.  Henry  was  selling 
stories  to  magazines  as  well.  JKis  total  of  stories  amount  to  two 
hundred  and  fifty-one,  and  when  it  is  considered  that  they  were 
written  in  about  eight  years,  one  may  give  him  a  good  mark  for 
industry,  especially  as  he  made  no  professional  vaunt  about  "loving 
his  work."  Once  when  dispirited  he  said  that  almost  any  other 
way  of  earning  a  living  was  less  of  a  toil  than  writing.  The  mood 
is  common  to  writers,  but  not  so  common  as  to  happen  to  a  man 
who  practically  had  editors  or  agents  of  editors  sitting  on  his  door 
step  requesting  copy. 

When  he  undertook  his  contract  with  the  World  he  moved  to 
have  more  room  and  more  comfortable  surroundings  for  the  new 
job.  But  he  did  not  move  far,  no  farther  than  across  Madison 
Square,  in  East  Twenty-fourth  Street,  to  a  house  near  Fourth 
Avenue.  Across  the  street  stands  the  Metropolitan  Building,  al 
though  it  was  not  so  vast  then.  He  had  a  bedroom  and  sitting- 
room  at  the  rear  of  the  parlor  floor  with  a  window  that  looked  out 
on  a  typical  New  York  yard,  boasting  one  ailanthus  tree  frowned 
upon  by  time-stained  extension  walls  of  other  houses.  More  and 
more  men  began  to  seek  him  out,  and  he  was  glad  to  see  them,  for 
a  good  deal  of  loneliness  enters  into  the  life  of  a  man  that  writes 
fiction  during  the  better  part  of  the  day,  and  when  his  work  is  over 
feels  he  must  move  about  somewhere  to  gather  new  material.  Here 
it  was  that  he  received  a  visit  one  day  from  a  stranger,  who  an 
nounced  that  he  was  a  business  man,  but  had  decided  to  change 
his  line.  He  meant  to  write  stories,  and  having  read  several  of 
O.  Henry's,  he  was  convinced  that  kind  of  story  would  be  the  best 
paying  proposition.  O.  Henry  liked  the  man  off-hand,  but  he  could 
not  help  being  amused  at  his  attitude  toward  a  "literary  career." 
I  asked  what  advice  he  gave  the  visitor,  and  he  answered:  "I 
told  him  to  go  ahead!"  The  sequel  no  doubt  O.  Henry  thoroughly 
enjoyed,  for  within  a  few  years  the  stranger  had  become  a  best 
seller,  and  continues  such. 

O.  Henry  remained  only  for  a  few  months"in  these  lodgings,  having 
among  a  dozen  reasons  for  moving  the  fact  that  he  had  more  money. 

I  follow  his  movings  with  his  trunks,  his  bags,  his  books,  a  few, 

40 


but  books  he  read,  and  his  pictures,  likewise  a  few,  that  were  orig 
inal  drawings  presented  to  him,  or  some  familiar  printed  picture 
that  had  caught  his  fancy,  because  in  his  movings  you  trace  his  life 
in  New  York.  His  next  abiding-place  was  at  55  Irving  Place,  as 
he  has  said  in  a  letter,  "a  few  doors  from  old  Wash.  Irving's  house." 
Here  he  had  almost  the  entire  parlor  floor  with  a  window  large 
as  a  store  front,  opening  only  at  the  sides  in  long  panels.  At  either 
one  of  these  panels  he  would  sit  for  hours  watching  the  world  go 
by  along  the  street,  not  gazing  idly,  but  noting  men  and  women  with 
penetrating  eyes,  making  guesses  at  what  they  did  for  a  living, 
and  what  fun  they  got  out  of  it  when  they  had  earned  it. 

He  was  a  man  you  could  sit  with  a  long  while  and  feel  no  nec 
essity  for  talking;  but  ever  so  often  a  passerby  would  evoke  a  remark 
from -him  that,  converted  an  iota  of  humanity  into  the  embryo  of 
a  story.  Although  he  spoke  hardly  ever  to  any  one  in  the  house 
except  the  people  who  managed  it,  he  had  the  lodgers  all  ticketed 
in  his  mind.  He  was  friendly  but  distant  with  persons  of  the  neigh 
borhood  he  was  bound  to  meet  regularly,  because  he  lived  so  long 
there,  and  I  have  often  thought  he  must  have  persisted  as  a  mys 
terious  man  to  them  simply  because  he  was  so  far  from  being 
communicative. 

From  Irving  Place  he  went  back  across  the  Square  to  live  in  a 
house  next  to  the  rectory  of  Trinity  Chapel  in  West  Twenty-fifth 
Street.  But  now  he  moved  because  the  land  lady  and  several 
lodgers  were  moving  to  the  same  house.  From  here  his  next  change 
was  to  the  Caledonia,  in  West  Twenty-sixth  Street,  whence,  as 
everybody  knows,  he  made  his  last  move  to  the  Polyclinic  Hos 
pital,  where  he  died. 


BIBLIOGRAPHY 

O.  HENRY,  1867-1910 

Critical  estimates,  personal  sketches  and  portraits  compiled 
by  Katharine  Hinton  Wootten  and  Tommie  Dora  Barker 
of  the  staff  of  Carnegie  Library,  Atlanta,  Georgia* 

"American  Story  Teller"— Craftsman,  18:576,  August,  1910. 

"A  Typically  American  Short  Story  Writer"— Current  Literature,  49: 
88-9,  July,  1910. 

Cooper,  Frederic  Taber — "O.  Henry"  (in  "Some  American  Story  Tellers," 
p.  225-244,  Holt,  1911.  Gives  short  bibliography). 

Irwin,  Will— "O.  Henry,  Man  and  Writer."  Cosmopolitan,  49:447-9, 
September,  1910.  Followed  by  "The  Dream,"  O.  Henry's  last  story,  and 
"The  Crucible,"  O.  Henry's  last  poem. 

Lindsay,  Nicholas  Vachell — "A  Knight  in  Disguise,"  "He  could  not  for 
get  that  he  was  a  Sidney."  Current  Literature,  53:111,  July,  1912  (This 
appeared  also  in  American  Magazine,  74:216,  June,  1912.) 

Page,  Arthur  W. — "Little  Pictures  of  O.  Henry."  Bookman,  37:381,  498, 
508,  607,  June-August,  1,  1913  (The  best  sketch  that  has  appeared.  Illus 
trated  with  pictures  of  O.  Henry  and  members  of  his  family,  as  well  as  scenes 
of  his  early  life.  Show  also  his  first  artistic  effort,  and  his  drawing  of  "Uncle 
Remus"). 

Personal  O.  Henry— Bookman,  29:345. 

Richardson,  Caroline  Francis — "O.  Henry  and  New  Orleans."  Book 
man,  39:281-7,  May,  1914  (Profusely  illustrated  with  views  from  the  scenes 
of  the  New  Orleans  stories). 

Rollins,  Hyder  E. — "O.  Henry."  A  critical  sketch.  Sewanee  Review, 
22:214,  April,  1914  (Criticism  of  this  article  in  N.  Y.  Times  Book  Review, 
May  3,  1914,  p.  220). 

Smith,  C.  Alphonso — "O.  Henry  Biography."  The  Standard  biography 
of  O.  Henry.  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1916. 

Steger,  Harry  Peyton — "O.  Henry."  Biographical  sketch,  with  portrait. 
Bookman,  37:2,  March,  1913. 

Life  of  O.  Henry.     Bookman,  34:115-8,  October,  1911. 

'"O.  Henry'— Who  He  Is  and  How  He  Works."  World's  Work,  18:1 1724-6, 
June,  1909. 

"O.  Henry,  New  Facts  About  the  Great  Author,"  and  a  hitherto  unpublished 
story  by  O.  Henry,  "The  Fog  in  Santone."  Cosmopolitan,  53:655,  October, 
1912. 


*The  compilers  have  in  preparation  an  exhaustive  bibliography,  and  will 
welcome  criticism  or  suggestions. 


PORTRAITS 

Review  of  Reviews— July,  1910:125. 
American  Magazine— September,  1910:603. 

Bookman— July,    1908:437;    August,    1909:579;    March,    1905:3;    July, 

1913:499,  503-4;  August,  1913:612. 

Independent— September  3,  1908:552. 

Book  News  Monthly— October,  1911  (frontispiece). 

Critic— February,  1904:109. 


DRAMATIZED  STORIES 

"A  Retrieved  Reformation"  (in  "The  Roads  of  Destiny").  Dramatized 
by  Paul  Armstrong  as  "Alias  Jimmy  Valentine";  Produced  at  Wallack's 
Theatre,  New  York,  1910.  Produced  at  Comedy  Theatre,  London.  Estimate 
of  the  play  in  Everybody's,  22:702,  May,  1910. 

"Double  Dyed  Deceiver"  (in  "The  Roads  of  Destiny").  Dramatized  for 
Norman  Hackett  as  "A  Double  Deceiver."  Played  on  the  road. 

"World  and  the  Door"  (in  "Whirligigs").     Tried  out  in  San  Francisco. 

"The  Third  Ingredient"  (in  "Options").  Dramatized  by  Catherine 
Robertson;  produced  by  Professional  Women's  League,  1912;  adapted  to 
vaudeville  by  Harris  &  Armstrong. 

"The  Green  Door"  (in  "The  Four  Million").  Tried  out  by  the  Lamb's 
Club  in  New  York  in  1912. 


THE  WORKS  OF  O.   HENRY— BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Cabbages  and  Kings.  McClure,  1905;  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1908. 
Scene  laid  in  South  America.  Reviewed  in  Bookman,  February,  1905,  20:561; 
Critic,  February,  1905,  46:189;  Independent,  February,  9,  1905,  58:328; 
Outlook,  January  7,  1905,  79:94. 

Four  Million,  The.  McClure,  1906;  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1908. 
Deals  with  everyday  life  in  New  York.  Reviewed  in  Critic,  July,  1906, 
49:93;  Independent,  July,  1906,  61:161;  Outlook,  May  3,  1906,  83:42;  Public 
Opinion,  May  12,  1906,  40:604;  Atlantic,  January,  1907,  99:126;  North  Ameri 
can  Review,  Msly,  1908,  187:781-3. 

Gentle  Grafter,  The.  McClure,  1908;  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1908. 
Fourteen  stories  which  exploit  Jeff  Peters'  methods  of  "unillegal  graft."  Re 
viewed  in  N.  Y.  Times,  Nov.  21,  1908. 

Gift  of  the  Wise  Men,  The.     Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1911.     One   of 

the  stories  in  "The  Four  Million."    For  Bibliography  see  "Four  Million." 

Heart  of  the  West.  McClure,  1907;  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1908. 
Short  stories  dealing  with  frontier  life — scenes  very  familiar  to  the  writer. 
Reviewed  in  Nation,  November  28,  1907,  85:496;  Outlook,  November  2,  1907, 
87:497;  North  American  Review,  April,  1908,  187:781-3. 

Let  Me  Feel  Your  Pulse.     Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.;  1910. 

Options.  Harper,  1909.  Sixteen  O.  Henry  stories.  Reviewed  in  Nation, 
December  2,  1909,  89:540. 


Ransom  of  Red  Chief  and  other  O.  Henry  Stories  for  Boys,  The. 

Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1918.     Short  stories  from  all  O.  Henry's  books  selected 
by  Franklin  K.  Mathiews,  Chief  Scout  Librarian,  Boy  Scouts  of  America. 

Roads  of  Destiny.  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1909.  Short  stories  dealing 
"with  the  picturesque  riff-raff  floating  through  the  South  and  west  Mississippi, 
Texas,  Mexico,  and  South  America."  Reviewed  in  A.  L.  A.  Booklist,  Septem 
ber,  1909,  6:28;  Nation,  July  15,  1909,  89:56;  New  York  Times  Book  Review 
May  22,  1909,  14:319. 

Rolling  Stones.  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1913.  Much  biographical  mate 
rial — letters,  personal  sketches.  The  twelfth  and  final  volume  of  the  series 
into  whici  the  late  Harry  Peyton  Steger  collected  O.Henry's  work.  Reviewed 
in  Independent,  January  23,  1913,  74:206;  Outlook,  January  18,  1913,  103:142; 
Bookman,  July,  1912,  35:455-6.  Notice  of  coming  publication  with  illustra 
tions. 

Sixes  and  Sevens.  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1911.  Twenty-five  O.  Henry 
stories.  Reviewed  in  Bellman,  November  4,  1911, 11:595;  Independent,  Octo 
ber  19,  1911,  71:874;  Nation,  November  23,  1911,  93:493. 

Strictly  Business.  More  Stories  of  the  Four  Million.  Doubleday,  Page 
&  Co.,  1910.  Twenty-three  more  O.  Henry  stories.  Reviewed  in  A.  L.  A. 
Booklist,  June,  1910,  6:411;  Catholic  World,  June,  1910,  91:393;  Independent, 
May  5,  1910,  68:989;  Nation,  April  7,  1910,  90:348. 

Trimmed  Lamp,  The,  and  Other  Stories  of  the  Four  Million.     McClure, 

1907,  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,    New  York  life  and  scenes  are  depicted  ranging 
from  shop  girl  to  the  commuter.     Reviewed  in  Atlantic,  July,  1907,  100:134; 
Bookman,  September,  1907,  26:79;  Independent,  October  10,  1907,  63:880; 
Literary  Digest,  May  11,  1907,  34:766;  Nation,  July  4,  1907,  85:16;  North 
American  Review,  April,  1908,  187:781-3;  Outlook,  August  17,  1907,  86:833; 
Review  of  Reviews,  June,  1907,  35:766. 

Voice  of  the  City,  The.  Further  Stories  of  the  Four  Million.  McClure, 
1908;  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1908.  Reviewed  in  Independent,  September  3, 

1908,  65:552;  Nation,  July  2,  1908,  87:12;  Outlook,  July  4,  1908,  89:532. 

Waifs  and  Strays.  McClure,  1906,  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1917.  In 
two  parts,  containing  twelve  O.  Henry  stories  and  .?.  representative  section  of 
critical  and  biographical  comment. 

Whirligigs.  Doubleday,  Page  &  Co.,  1910.  Twenty-four  stories  on  the 
accident  of  human  destiny.  Reviewed  in  A.  L.  A.  Booklist,  November,  1910, 
7:128;  Independent,  November  3,  1910,  69:987;  Literary  Digest,  November 
19,  1910,  41:940;  Nation,  November  3,  1910,  91:417. 

According  to  Professor  C.  Alphonso  Smith,  only  three  stories  were  signed  Sydney 
Porter.  They  were  first  omitted  from  the  collected  works,  but  are  now  included  in 
the  volume.  Waifs  and  Strays.  These  were  "The  Cactus"  and  "Round  the  Circle," 
both  published  in  Everybody's  for  October,  1902,  and  "Hearts  and  Hands," 
published  in  Everybody's  for  December  of  the  same  year.  Other  names 
occasionally  signed  were  Olivier  Henry,  S.  H.  Peters,  James  L.  Bliss  (once),  T.  B. 
Dowd,  and  Howard  Clark. 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


ABDICATION,  THE  HIGHER 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

ABILITY,  FROM  EACH  ACCORDING 
TO  His 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ABOUT  Towx,  MAN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

ACCOLADE,  THE  GUARDIAN  OF  THE 

S«e:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ACCORDING  TO  His  ABILITY,  FROM 
EACH 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ACCORDING  TO  THEIR  LIGHTS 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

ADJUSTMENT  OF  NATURE,    AN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

ADMIRAL,  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

ADVENTURES  OF  SHAMROCK  JOLNES, 
THE 

I  See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

AFTER  TWENTY  YEARS 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

A  LA  CARTE,  CUPID 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

A  LA  CARTE,  SPRINGTIME 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

ANSWERS,  QUERIES  AND 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

ANTHEM,  THE  COP  AND  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

APHASIA,  A  RAMBLE  IN 

See:  Strictly  Business 


APOLOGY,  AN 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

APPLE,  THE  SPHINX 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

ARABIA,  A  NIGHT  IN  NEW 

See:  Strictly  Business 

ARABIAN    NIGHT,     A     MADISON 
SQUARE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

ARCADIA,  TRANSIENTS  IN 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ARCHER,  MAMMON  AND  THE 

Set:  Four  Million,  The 

ARISTOCRACY  VERSUS  HASH 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

ART  AND  THE  BRONCO 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ART,  CONSCIENCE  IN 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

ARTS,  MASTERS  OF 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

ASSESSOR  OF  SUCCESS,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

AT  ARMS  WITH  MORPHEUS 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

ATAVISM   OF   JOHN   TOM   LITTLE 
BEAR,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stenes 

ATWOOD,  JOHNNY 

See:  Note  under  Cabbages  and  Kings 

AUTO  WAITS,  WHILE  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 


45 


46 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


B 

BABES  IN  THE  JUNGLE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

BADGE   OF   POLICEMAN   O'RooN, 
THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

BAGDAD,  A  BIRD  OF 

See:  Strictly  Business 

BARGAINER,  A  BLACKJACK 

See:  Whirligigs 

BEST-SELLER 

See:  Options 

BETWEEN  ROUNDS 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

BEXAR  SCRIPT,  No.  2692 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

BILLY,  THE  EMANCIPATION  OF 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

BIRD  OF  BAGDAD,  A 

See:  Strictly  Business 

BLACK  BILL,  THE  HIDING  OF 

See:  Options 

BLACK  EAGLE,  THE  PASSING  OF 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

BLACKJACK  BARGAINER,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

BLEND,  THE  LOST 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

BLIND  MAN'S  HOLIDAY 

See:  Whirligigs 

BOHEMIA,  A  PHILISTINE  IN 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

BOHEMIA,  EXTRADITED  FROM 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

BO-PEEP  OF  THE  RANCHES, 
MADAME 
See:  Whirligigs 


BOTTLE,  THE  LOTUS  AND  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

BRICKDUST  Row 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

BRIEF  D^BUT  OF  TILDY,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

BROADWAY,  INNOCENTS  OF 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

BROKER,  THE  ROMANCE  OF  A  BUSY 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

BRONCO,  ART  AND  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

BURGLAR,  TOMMY'S 

See:  Whirligigs 

BUSINESS,  STRICTLY — SHORT 
STORIES 

See:  Strictly  Business 

BURIED  TREASURE  • 

See:  Options 

BURNEY,   TRANSFORMATION   OF 
MARTIN 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

BUSY    BROKER,    THE    ROMANCE 
OF  A 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

BUYER  FROM  CACTUS  CITY,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

BY  COURIER 

See:  Four  Million,  The 


CABALLERO'S  WAY,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

CABBAGES  AND  KINGS 

The  stories  in  this  volume,  though 
apparently  disconnected  chapters, 
fall  into  four  main  groups,  with  the 
exception  of  one  independent  tale, 
"The  Lotus  and  the  Bottle."  But 
the  stories  all  have  a  loose  in 
ter-relation  owing  to  the  fact  fiat 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


47 


Coralio  in  Central  America  is 
their  common  stage,  and  that 
the  dramatis  persons,  generally 
speaking,  is  the  same  throughout. 
For  the  advantage  of  readers  who 
wish  to  get  the  chapters  of  the  va 
rious  stories  in  their  natural  order, 
the  groups  are  here  marked  alpha 
betically.  For  instance,  all  the  chap 
ters  centring  about  Frank  Good 
win  are  grouped  with  "The  Money 
Maze"  as  A.  Those  about  Johnny 
Atwood  with  "Cupid's  Exile  Num 
ber  Two"  as  B.  Those  about  Keogh 
and  Clancy  with  "The  Phonograph 
and  the  Graft"  as  C.  Those  about 
Dicky  as  D  and  those  about  "The 
Admiral"  as  E. 

Contents: 

The  Proem:  By  the  Carpenter,  A 

"Fox-in-the-Morning,"   A 

The  Lotus  and  the  Bottle 

Smith,  A 

Caught,  A 

Cupid's  Exile  Number  Two,  B 

The  Phonograph  and  the  Graft,  C 

Money  Maze,  A 

The  Admiral,  E 

The  Flag  Paramount,  E 

The  Shamrock  and  the  Palm,  C 

The  Remnants  of  the  Code,  A 

Shoes,  B 

Ships,  B 

Masters  of  Arts,  C 

Dicky,  D 

Rouge  et  Noir,  D 

Two  Recalls,  A 

The  Vitagraphoscope,   A-C 

CABBY'S  SEAT,  FROM  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

CACTUS  CITY,  THE  BUYER  FROM 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

CAD,  THE   CALIPH  AND  THE 

Set:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CAFE,  A  COSMOPOLITE  IN  A 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

CALIPH  AND  THE  CAD,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CALIPH,  CUPID,  AND  THE  CLOCK, 
THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

CALLIOPE,  THE  REFORMATION  OF 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 


CALL  LOAN,  A 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

CALL  OF  THE  TAME,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

CALL,  THE  CLARION 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CALL,  THE  FRIENDLY 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

GALLOWAY'S  CODE 

See:  Whirligigs 

CAMPFIRE  LIGHT,  NEW  YORK  BY 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CANDY  MAN,  NEMESIS  AND  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CARPENTER,  THE  PROEM:  BY  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

CARTOONS  BY  O.  HENRY 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

CASE,  A  DEPARTMENTAL 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

CAUGHT 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

CELEBRATE,  THE  DAY  WE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CENTRAL  AMERICA,  STORIES  OF 

See:  Locality 

CHAIR  OF  PHLLANTHROMATHE  MA- 
TICS,  THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

CHAMPION  OF  THE  WEATHER,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CHANCE,  THE  GHOST  OF  A 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CHAPARRAL  CHRISTMAS  GUT,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

CHAPARRAL  PRINCE,  A 
See:  Heart  of  the  West 


48 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


CHARLEROI,    THE    RENAISSANCE 
AT 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

CHERCHEZ  LA  FEMME 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

CHORD,  THE  MISSING 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

CHRISTMAS  BY  INJUNCTION 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

CHRISTMAS  GIFT,  A  CHAPARRAL 

See:  Whirligigs 

CHRISTMAS  STOCKING,  WHISTLING 
DICK'S 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

CHRISTMAS   STORY,  AN  UN 
FINISHED 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

CHURCH     WITH     AN     OVERSHOT 
WHEEL,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CIRCLE,  SISTERS  OF  THE  GOLDEN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

CIRCLE,  SQUARING  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CITIES,  THE  PRIDE  OF  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CITY  OF  DREADFUL  NIGHT,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CITY,  THE  DEFEAT  OF  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CITY,  THE  VOICE  OF  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CLANCY,  KEOGH  AND 

See:  Note  under  Cabbages  and  Kings 

CLARION  CALL,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

CLOCK,  THE  CALIPH,  CUPID  AND 

THE 
See:  Four  Million,  The 


CODE,  GALLOWAY'S 

See:  Whirligigs 

CODE,  THE  REMNANTS  OF  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

COLOR,  A  LITTLE  LOCAL 

See:  Whirligigs 

COMEDY  IN  RUBBER,  A 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

COMING-OUT  OF  MAGGIE,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

COMPANY  99,  THE  FOREIGN  POLICY 
OF 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

COMPLETE  LIFE   OF  JOHN  HOP 
KINS,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

COMPLIMENTS  OF  THE  SEASON 

See:  Strictly  Business 

CONEY,  THE  GREATER 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

CONSCIENCE  IN  ART 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

COP  AND  THE  ANTHEM,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

COSMOPOLITE  IN  A  CAFE,  A 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

COUNT  AND  THE  WEDDING  GUEST, 
THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

COUNTRY  OF  ELUSION,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

COURIER,  BY 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

CROSSES,  HEARTS  AND 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

CUPID  A  LA  CARTE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


49 


CUPID,  AND  THE  CLOCK,  CALIPH, 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

CUPID'S  EXILE  NUMBER  Two 

Set:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

CURSE,  LORD  OAKHURST'S 

See:  Rolling  Stones 


DAY  RESURGENT,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

DAY  WE  CELEBRATE,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

DEBUT  OF  TILDY,  THE  BRIEF 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

DECEIVER,  A  DOUBLE-DYED 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

DEFEAT  OF  THE  CITY,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

DEMAND,  SUPPLY  AND 

See:  Options 

DEPARTMENTAL  CASE,  A 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

DESTINY,  ROADS  OF 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

DIAMOND    OF    KALI,    THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

DICK'S  CHRISTMAS  STOCKING, 
WHISTLING 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

DICKY 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

DINNER  AT ,  A 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

DISCOUNTERS  OF  MONEY,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

"DIXIE,  THE  ROSE  OF" 

See:  Options 


DOGMAN,  ULYSSES  AND  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

DOLLARS,     ONE     THOUSAND 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

DOLLAR'S  WORTH,  ONE 

See:  Whirligigs 

DOOM,  THE  SHOCKS  OF 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

DOOM,  TRACKED  TO — OR  THE 
MYSTERY  OF  THE  RUE  DE 
PEYCHAUD 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

DOOR  OF  UNREST,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

DOOR,  THE  GREEN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

DOOR,  THE  WORLD  AND  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

DOUBLE-DYED   DECEIVER,   A 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

DOUGHERTY'S   EYE-OPENER 
See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

DREADFUL  NIGHT,  THE  CITY  OF 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

DREAM,  A  MIDSUMMER  KNIGHT'S 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

DREAM,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

DRESS  PARADE,  LOST  ON 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

DRESS,  THE  PURPLE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

DRY  VALLEY  JOHNSON,  THE  IN- 

DL\N  SUMMER  OF 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

DUEL,  THE 

See:  Strictly 


O.   HENRY  INDEX 


DUPLICITY  OF  HARGRAVES,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 
E 

EACH  ACCORDING  TO  His  ABILITY, 
FROM 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

EAGLE,  THE  PASSING  OF  BLACK 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

EAST  SIDE  TRAGEDY,  AN:  "THE 
GUILTY    PARTY" 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

EASTER  OF  THE  SOUL,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ELEVATION,  A  MATTER  OF  MEAN 

See:  Whirligigs 

ELSIE  IN  NEW  YORK 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

ELUSION,  THE  COUNTRY  OF 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

EMANCIPATION  OF  BILLY,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ENCHANTED  Kiss,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ENCHANTED  PROFILE,  THE 

Sea:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ERROR,  A  TECHNICAL 

See:  Whirligigs 

ETHICS  OF  PIG,  THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

EXACT  SCIENCE  OF  MATRIMONY, 
THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

EXILE  NUMBER  Two,  CUPID'S 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

EXTRADITED  FROM  BOHEMIA 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

EYE-OPENER,  DOUGHERTY'S 
Sea  Voice  of  the  City,  The 


FAILURE,  THE  HYPOTHESES  or 

See:  Whirligigs 

FEEL  YOUR  PULSE,  LET  ME 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

FEMME,  CHERCHEZ  LA 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

FERRY   OF   UNFULFILMENT,   THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

FICKLE   FORTUNE,   OR  How 
GLADYS  HUSTLED 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

FIFTH  WHEEL,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

FIRE,  THE  PLUTONIAN 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

FLAG  PARAMOUNT,  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

FOG  IN  SANTONE,  A 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

FOOL-KILLER,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

FOREIGN  POLICY  OF  COMPANY  99, 
THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

FORTUNE,      FICKLE,      OR     How 
GLADYS  HUSTLED 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

FOUR  MILLION,  THE — SHORT 
STORIES 

Contents: 

Tobin's  Palm 

The  Gift  of  the  Magi 

A  Cosmopolite  in  a  Cafe 

Between  Rounds 

The  Skylight  Room 

A  Service  of  Love 

The  Coming-Out  of  Maggie 

Man  About  Town 

The  Cop  and  the  Anthem 

An  Adjustment  of  IsTature 

Memoirs  of  a  Yellow  Dog 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


The  Love-Philtre  of  Ikey  Schoenstein 

Mammon  and  the  Archer 

Springtime  a  la  Carte 

The  Green  Door 

From  the  Cabby's  Seat 

An  Unfinished  Story 

The  Caliph.  Cupid  and  the  Clock 

Sisters  of  the  Golden  Circle 

The  Romance  of  a  Busy  Broker 

After  Twenty  Years 

Lost  on  Dress  Parade 

By  Courier 

The  Furnished  Room 

The  Brief  Debut  of  Tildy 

FOUR  ROSES,  THE— VERSE 

See:    Roses.  Ruses  and  Romance  in 
"Voice  of  the  City" 

FOURTH  IN  SALVADOR,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

"  FOX-IN-THE-MORNTNG  " 
See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

FRIEND,  TELEMACHUS, 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

FRIENDLY  CALL,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

FRIENDS  IN  SAN  ROSARIO 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

FROM  EACH  ACCORDING  TO  His 
ABILITY 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

FROM  THE  CABBY'S  SEAT 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

"FRUIT,  LITTLE  SPECK  IN  GARN 
ERED" 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

FURNISHED  ROOM,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

FURY,  SOUND  AND— DIALOGUE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 


"GARNERED    FRUIT,    LITTLE 
SPECK  IN" 
See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 


GENTLE   GRAFTER,   THE    (ILLUS 
TRATED) — SHORT   STORIES 

Contents: 

The  Octopus  Marooned 

Jeff  Peters  as  a  Personal  Magnet 

Modern  Rural  Sports 

The  Chair  of  Philanthromathematics 

The  Hand  that  Riles  the  World 

The  Exact  Science  of  Matrimony 

A  Midsummer  Masquerade 

Shearing  the  Wolf 

Innocents  of  Broadway 

Conscience  in  Art 

The  Man  Higher  Up 

A  Tempered  Wind 

Hostages  to  Momus 

The  Ethics  of  Pig 

GENTLEMEN,    Two    THANKS 
GIVING  DAY — 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

GEORGIA'S  RULING 

See:  Whirligigs 

GHOST  OF  A  CHANCE,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

GIFT  OF  THE  MAGI,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

"GIRL" 

See:  Whirligigs 

GIRL  AND  THE  GRAFT,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

GIRL  AND  THE  HABIT,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

GLADYS  HUSTLED,  How,  OR 
FICKLE  FORTUNE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

GOLD  THAT  GLITTERED,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

GOLDEN  CIRCLE,  SISTERS  OF  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

GOODWIN,  FRANK 

See:  Note  under  Cabbages  and  Kings 

GRAFT,  THE  GIRL  AND  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


GRAFT,    THE    PHONOGRAPH    AND 
THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

GRAFTER,   THE   GENTLE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

GREATER    CONEY,    THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

GREEN  DOOR,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

GUARDIAN  OF  THE  ACCOLADE,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

GUEST,    THE    COUNT    AND    THE 
WEDDING 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

"GUILTY  PARTY"— AN  EAST  SIDE 
TRAGEDY,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp 

H 
HABIT,  THE  GIRL  AND  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

HALBERDIER  OF  THE  LITTLE 
RHEINSCHLOSS,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

HAND  THAT  RILES  THE  WORLD, 
THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

HANDBOOK  OF  HYMEN,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

HARBINGER,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

HARGRAVES,  THE  DUPLICITY  OF 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

HARLEM  TRAGEDY,  A 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

HASH,  ARISTOCRACY  VERSUS 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

HAUGHTY,  SEATS  or  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 


HAYES,  JIMMIE— AND  MURDZL 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

HE  ALSO  SERVES 

See:  Options 

HEAD-HUNTER,  THE 

See:  Options 

HEART    OF    THE    WEST— SHORT 
STORIES 

Contents: 

Hearts  and  Crosses 

The  Ransom  of  Mack 

Telemachus,  Friend 

The  Handbook  of  Hymen 

The  Pimienta  Pancakes 

Seats  of  the  Haughty 

Hygeia  at  the  Solito 

An  Afternoon  Miracle 

The  Higher  Abdication 

Cupid  a  la  Carte 

The  Caballero's  Way 

The  Sphinx  Apple 

The  Missing  Chord 

A  Call  Loan 

The  Princess  and  the  Puma 

The  Indian  Summer  of  Dry  Valley 

Johnson 

Christmas  by  Injunction 
A  Chaparral  Prince 
The  Reformation  of  Calliope 

HEARTS  AND  CROSSES 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

HELPING  THE  OTHER  FELLOW 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

HIDING  OF  BLACK  BILL,  THE 

See:  Options 

HIGHBALL,  THE  RUBAIYAT  OP  A 
SCOTCH 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

HIGHER  ABDICATION,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

HIGHER  PRAGMATISM,  THE 

See:  Options 

HIGHER  UP,  THE  LADY 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

HIGHER  UP,  THE  MAN 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


53 


HIM  WHO  WAITS,  To 

See:  Options 

HIT,  A  SACRIFICE 

See:  Whirligigs 

HOLDING  UP  A  TRAIN 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

HOLIDAY,  BLIXD  MAN'S 

See:  Whirligigs 

HOMES,   SUITE— AND  THEIR  RO 
MANCE 

See:  Whirligigs 

HOPKINS,  THE  COMPLETE  LIFE  OF 
JOHN 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

HOSTAGES  TO  MOMUS 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

HOUND,  THE  THEORY  AND  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

How  GLADYS  HUSTLED,  OR 
"FICKLE  FORTUNE" 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

HYGEIA  AT  THE  SOLITO 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

HYMEN,  THE  HANDBOOK  OF 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

HYPOTHESES  OF  FAILURE,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 


'I  Go  TO  SEEK  ON  MANY  ROADS" 
— VERSE — HEADING  OF  ROADS 
OF  DESTINY 
See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

'KEY   SCHOENSTEIN,   THE    LOVE 
PHILTRE  OF 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

INDIAN  SUMMER  OF  DRY  VALLEY 
JOHNSON,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 


INGREDIENT,  THE  THIRD 

See:  Options 

INJUNCTION,  CHRISTMAS  BY 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

INNOCENTS  OF  BROADWAY 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

INTRODUCTION  TO  ROLLING  STONES 
BY  H.  P.  STEGER 

See:  Rolling  Stones 


JEFF    PETERS    AS    A    PERSONAL 

MAGNET 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

JEFF  PETERS  STORIES 

The  contents  of  The  Gentle  Grafter 

and  also 
Cupid  a  la  Carte   (in  Heart  of    the 

West) 
The  Atavism  of  John  Tom  Little  Bear 

(in  Rolling  Stones) 

JIMMIE  HAYES  AND  MURIEL 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

JOHN  HOPKINS,  THE   COMPLETE 
LIFE  OF 

See:  Voice  of  the   City,  The 

JOHN   TOM   LITTLE   BEAR,   THE 
ATAVISM  OF 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

JOHNNY  ATVVOOD 

See:  Note  under  Cabbages  and  Kings 

JOHNSON,  THE  INDIAN  SUMMER  OF 
DRY  VALLEY 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

JUNE,  OCTOBER  AND 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

JUNGLE,  BABES  IN  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 


KALI,  THE  DIAMOND  OF 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 


54 


O.   HENRY  INDEX 


KEOGH  AND  CLANCY 

See:  Note  under  Cabbages  and  Kings 

KIN,  MAKES  THE  WHOLE  WORLD 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

KINGS,  CABBAGES  AND 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

KNIGHT'S  DREAM,  A  MIDSUMMER 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,   The 

L 

LADY  HIGHER  UP,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

LAMP,  THE  TRIMMED 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

LAST  LEAF,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

LAST  OF  THE  TROUBADOURS,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

LAW  AND  ORDER 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

"LAZY  SHEPHERDS,  SEE  YOUR 
LAMBKINS" — DAVID'S  VERSE  IN 
ROADS  OF  DESTINY 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

LEAF,  THE  LAST 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

LET  ME  FEEL  YOUR  PULSE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 
Also  issued  separately  as  a  small  il 
lustrated  book.     This  story  is  largely 
based    upon    O.    Henry's    own    ill- 
fated  search  for  health. 

LETTERS  FROM  O.  HENRY 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

Two  to  Gilman  Hall 

One  to  Mrs.  Hall,  a  friend  in  North 

Carolina 

Three  to  Dr.  W.  P.  Beall 
Four  to  David  Harrell 
Parable  Letter 

Two  to  his  Daughter  Margaret 
To  J.  O.  H.  Cosgrave 
One  to  "Col.  Griffith" 
Four  to  Al.  Jennings 
Two  to  H.  P.  Stegei 


LICKPENNY  LOVER,  A 

Set:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

LIFE    OF    JOHN    HOPKINS,   THE 
COMPLETE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

LIFE,  THE  WTHIRLIGIG  OF 

See:  Whirligigs 

LIGHTS,  ACCORDING  TO  THEIR 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

LITTLE  BEAR,  THE  ATAVISM    OF 
JOHN  TOM 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

LITTLE  LOCAL  COLOR,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

"LITTLE     SPECK    IN  GARNERED 
FRUIT" 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

LOAN,  A  CALL 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

LOAVES,  WITCHES' 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

LOCAL  COLOR,  A  LITTLE 

See:  Whirligigs 

LOCALITY — 

A  geographical  arrangement 
of  practically  all  of  the  stories 
in  the  twelve  volumes.  Refer 
ence  to  the  book  in  which  the 
tale  appears  is  given  after  each 
title  or  group  of  titles. 

Central  America 

The  Head-Hunter 

(In  "Options" 
Phoebe 

The  Fourth  in  Salvador 
Two  Renegades 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 

The  Day  We  Celebrate 

(In  "Sixes  anu,  Sevens") 

England 

Lord  Oakhurst's  Curse 

(In  "Rolling  Stones") 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


55 


France 

Roads  of  Destiny 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 

Tracked  to  Doom 

(In  "Rolling  Stones") 

Mexico 

He  Also  Serves 

(In  "Options") 

New  York 
"The  Four  Million,"  (Whole  volume ) 

Innocents  of  Broadway 
A  Tempered  Wind 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

The  Third  Ingredient 
Schools  and  Schools 
Thimble,  Thimble 
To  Him  Who  Waits 
No  Story 

The  Higher  Pragmatism 
Rus  in  Urbe 

(In  "Options") 

The  Discounters  of  Money 
The  Enchanted  Profile 

(In  " Roads  of  Destiny") 

The  Marionettes 

A  Dinner  at 

An  Unfinished  Christmas  Story 

The  Unprofitable  Servant 

TU    c,      v         (I"  "Rolling  Stones") 

The  Sleuths 

Witches'  Loaves 

The  Pride  of  the  Cities 

Ulysses  and  the  Dogman 

The  Champion  of  the  Weather 

Makes  the  Whole  World  Kin 

At  Arms  with  Morpheus 

The  Ghost  of  a  Chance 

Let  Me  Feel  Your  Pulse 

The  Adventures  With  Shamrock  Tolnes 

The  Lady  Higher  Up 

The  Greater  Coney 

Transformation  of  Martin  Burney 

The  Caliph  and  the  Cad 

The  Diamond  of  Kali 

( In  "Sixes  and  Sevens") 

"  Strictly  Business."  (Allthe  stories  in 
this  volume,  except  "A  Municipal 
Report,"  for  which  see  THE  SOUTH 
under  Tennessee) 

"The  Trimmed  Lamp."  (Whole  vol 
ume) 


"The  Voice  of  the  City.' 
ume) 


(Whole  vol- 


Calloway's  Code 

"Girl" 

The  Marry  Month  of  May 

Sociology  in  Serge  and  Straw 

Suite  Homes  and  Their  Romance 

A  Sacrifice  Hit 

The  Song  and  the  Sergeant 

A  Newspaper  Story 

Tommy's  Burglar 

A  Little  Local  Color 

(In  "Whirligigs". 

Pennsylvania  (Pittsburgh) 

Conscience  in  Art 

(In  "Whirligigs"^ 

South  America 

"Cabbages  and  Kings."   (Whole  vol 
ume) 

The  World  and  the  Door 
The  Theory  and  the  Hound 
A  Matter  of  Mean  Elevation 
Supply  and  Demand 

(In  "Options") 

Next  to  Reading  Matter 
A  Double-Dyed  Deceiver 
On  Behalf  of  the  Management 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 

A  Ruler  of  Men 
Helping  the  Other  Fellow 

(In  " Rolling  Stones") 

THE  SOUTH— 

Alabama 

The  Ransom  of  Red  Chief 

(In  "Whirligigs") 

Georgia 

Hostages  to  Momus 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter) 

"The  Rose  of  Dixie" 

(In  "Options") 

Kentucky 

A  Blackjack  Bargainer 

(In  "Whirligigs") 

Shearing  the  Wolf 
The  Ethics  of  Pig 

(In  -The  Gentle  Grafter") 

Louisiana 
The  Renaissance  at  Charleroi 


O.    HENRY  INDEX 


Whistling  Dick's  Christmas  Stocking 
Cherchez  la  Femme 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 

Blind  Man's  Holiday 

(In  "Whirligigs) 

Tennessee 

A  Midsummer  Masquerade 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

October  and  June 

(In  "Sixes  and  Sevens") 

The  Whirligig  of  Life 

(In  "Whirligigs") 


Best  Seller 


Virginia 

(In  "Options") 
Washington 


The  Hand  that  Riles  the  World 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

A  Snapshot  at  the  President 

(In  " Rolling  Stones") 

The  Duplicity  of  Hargraves 

(In  "Sixes  and^Sevens") 

Indefinite 

The  Emancipation  of  Billy 
The  Guardian  of  the  Accolade 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 

The  Church  With  an  Overshot  Wheel 
The  Door  of  Unrest 

(In  "Sixes  and  Sevens") 

THE  WESP— 

Arizona 

Christmas  by  Injunction 

(In  " Heart  of  the  West") 

The  Roads  We  Take 

(In  "Whirligigs") 

Arkansas 

Jeff  Peters  as  a  Personal  Magnet 
The  Man  Higher  Up 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

A  Retrieved  Reformation 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 


Colorado 

The  Ransom  of  Mack 

(In  "The  Heart  of  the  West" 

The  Friendly  Call 

(In  "Rolling  Stones") 

Illinois 

The  Exact  Science  of  Matrimony 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

Indiana 

Modern  Rural  Sports 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

Indian  Territory 

New  York  by  Campfire  Light 

(In  "Sixes  and  Sevens") 

A  Technical  Error 

(In  "Whirligigs") 

Kansas 

The  Atavism  of  John  Tom  Little  Bear 
(In  "Rolling  Stones") 

Montana 

The  Handbook  of  Hymen 

(In  "The  Heart  of  the  West" 

New  Mexico 

Telemachus  Friend 

(In  "Heart  of  the  West") 

Ohio 

The  Halberdier  of  the  Little  Rhein- 
schloss          (In  "Roads  of  Destiny) 

Oklahoma 

Cupid  a  la  Carte 

(In  "Heart  of  the  West") 

Holding  Up  a  Train 

(In  "Sixes  and  Sevens") 

Texas 

The  Octopus  Marooned 

(In  "The  Gentle  Grafter") 

Hearts  and  Crosses 
Th«  Pimienta  Pancakes 


O.   HENRY  INDEX 


57 


Seats  of  the  Haughty 

Hygeia  at  the  Solito 

An  Afternoon  Miracle 

The  Higher  Abdication 

The  Caballero's  Way 

The  Sphinx  Apple 

The  Missing  Chord 

A  Call  Loan 

The  Princess  and  the  Puma 

The  Indian  Summer  of  Dry  Valley 

Johnson 

A  Chaparral  Prince 
The  Reformation  of  Calliope 

(In  "Heart  of  the  West") 

The  Hiding  of  Black  Bill 
Buried  Treasure 
The  Moment  of  Victory 
A  Poor  Rule 

(In  Options") 
Art  and  the  Broncos 
The  Passing  of  Black  Eagle 
Friends  in  San  Rpsario 
The  Enchanted  Kiss 
A  Departmental  Case 
The  Lonesome  Road 

(In  "Roads  of  Destiny") 

The  Marquis  and  Miss  Sally 

A  Fog  in  Santone 

Tictocq 

Aristocracy  versus  Hash 

A  Strange  Story 

FickleFortune.orHow  Gladys  Hustled 

An  Apology 

Bexar  Script  Xo.  2692 

(In  "Rolling  Stones") 

The  Last  of  the  Troubadours 
Jimmy  Hayes  and  Muriel 
Law  and  Order 

(I*  "Sixes  ami  Sevens") 

One  Dollar's  Worth 
A  Chaparral  Christmas  Gift 
Madame  Bo-Peep  of  the  Ranches 
Georgia's  Ruling 

(In  "Whirligigs") 

LONESOME  ROAD,  THE 

See:  Roads. of  Destiny 

LORD  OAKHURST'S  CURSE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

LOST  BLEND,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

LOST  ON  DRESS  PARADE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

LOTUS  IN  THE  BOTTLE,  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 


LOVE,  A  SERVICE  OF 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

LOVE-PHILTRE  OF  IKEY  SCHOEN- 
STELN,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

LOVER,  A  LICKPENNY 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

M 
MACK,  THE  RANSOM  OF 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

MADAME      BO-PEEP      OF      THE 
RANCHES 

See:  WTiirligigs 

MADISON       SQUARE       ARABIAN 
NIGHT,  A 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

MAGGIE,  THE  COMING-OUT  OF 

Set:  Four  Million,  The 

MAGI,  THE  GIFT  OF  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

MAGNET,  JEFF  PETERS  AS  A  PER 
SONAL 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MAKES  THE  WHOLE  WORLD  KIN 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

MAKING  OF  A  NEW  YORKER,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

MAMMON  AND  THE  ARCHER 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

MAN  ABOUT  TOWN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

MAN  HIGHER  UP,  THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MANAGEMENT,  ON  BEHALF  OF  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

MARIONETTES,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

MAROONED,  THE  OCTOPUS 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 


O.   HENRY  INDEX 


MARQUIS  AND  Miss  SALLY,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

MARRY  MONTH  OF  MAY,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

MARTIN  BURNEY,  TRANSFORMA 
TION  OF 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

MASQUERADE,  A  MIDSUMMER 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MASTERS  OF  ARTS 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

MATRIMONY,  THE  EXACT  SCIENCE 

OF 
See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MATTER  OF  MEAN  ELEVATION,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

MAY,  THE  MARRY  MONTH  OF 

See:  Whirligigs 

MAZE,  MONEY 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

MEAN  ELEVATION,  A  MATTER  OF 

See:  Whirligigs 

MEMENTO,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

MEMOIRS  OF  A  YELLOW  DOG 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

MIDSUMMER  KNIGHT'S  DREAM,  A 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

MIDSUMMER  MASQUERADE,  A 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MIGNOT,  UNPUBLISHED  POEMS  OF 
DAVID 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny,  Chap.  I. 

MILLION,  THE  FOUR 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

MIRACLE,  AN  AFTERNOON 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

Miss  SALLY,  THE  MARQUIS  AND 

See:  Rolling  Stones 


MISSING  CHORD,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

MODERN  RURAL  SPORTS 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MOMENT  OF  VICTORY,  THE 

See:  Options 

MOMUS,  HOSTAGES  TO 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

MONEY  MAZE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

MONEY,  THE  DISCOUNTERS  OF 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

MONTH  OF  MAY,  THE  MARRY 

See:  Whirligigs 

MORNING,  Fox  IN  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

MORPHEUS,  AT  ARMS  WITH 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

MUNICIPAL  REPORT,  A 

See:  Strictly  Business 

MURIEL,  JIMMIE  HAYES  AND 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

MYSTERY  OF  THE  RUE  DE  PEY- 
CHAUD,  THE,  OR  TRACKED  TO 
DOOM 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

N 

NATURE,  AN  ADJUSTMENT  OF 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

NEMESIS  AND  THE  CANDY  MAN 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

NEW  ARABIA,  A  NIGHT  IN 

See:  Strictly  Business 

NEW  ORLEANS,  STORIES  OF 

See:  Locality,  S.  V.  The  South 

NEW  YORK  BY  CAMPFIRE  LIGHT 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


59 


NEW  YORK,  ELSIE  m 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

NEW  YORK,  STORIES  OF 

See:  Locality 

NEW  YORKER,  THE  MAKING  OF 

A 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

NEWSPAPER  STORY,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

"NEXT  TO  READING  MATTEB" 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

NIGHT  IN  NEW  ARABIA,  A 

See:  Strictly  Businesss 

NIGHT,  THE  CITY  OF  DREADFUL 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 
No  STORY 

See:  Options 

No.  2692,  BEXAR  SCRIPT 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

NOIR,  ROUGE  ET 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

NUMBER  Two,  CUPID'S  EXILE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

O 

3.  HENRY,  POEM  BY  JAMES  WHIT- 
COMB  RILEY 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

OCTOBER   AND   JUNE 
See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

OCTOPUS  MAROONED,  THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

ON  BEHALF  OF  THE  MANAGEMENT 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ONE  DOLLAR'S  WORTH 

See:  Whirligigs 

"ONE   ROSE  I  TWINED  WITHIN 
YOUR  HAIR" 

First   line   of   Poem   entitled,    "The 
Four   Roses"    in    Roses,    Ruses 


and  Romance,  a  story  hi  "The 
Voice  of  the  City" 

ONE  THOUSAND  DOLLARS 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

OPTIONS— SHORT  STORIES 

Contents: 

"The  Rose  of  Dixie" 

The  Third  Ingredient 

The  Hiding  of  Black  Bill 

Schools  and  Schools 

Thimble,  Thimble 

Supply  and  Demand 

Buried  Treasure 

To  Him  Who  Waits 

He  Also  Serves 

The  Moment  of  Victory 

The  Head-Hunter 

No  Story 

The  Higher  Pragamatism 

Best  Seller 

Rus  in  Urbe 

A  Poor  Rule 

ORDER,  LAW  AND 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

O'RooN,  THE  BADGE  OF  POLICE 
MAN — 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

OTHER  FELLOW,  HELPING  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

OVERSHOT  WHEEL,  THE  CHURCH 
WITH  AN 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 
P 

PALM,  THE  SHAMROCK  AND  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

PALM,  TOBIN'S 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

PANCAKES,  THE  PIMIENTA 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

PARAMOUNT,  THE  FLAG 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

PASSING  OF  BLACK  EAGLE,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

PAST  ONE  AT  ROONEY:S 

See:  StricMy  Business 


6o 


0.   HENRY  INDEX 


PEACE,  THE  ROBE  OF 

See:  Strictly  Business 

PEASANT,  THE  POET  AND  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

PENDULUM,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

PERSONAL  MAGNET,  JEFF  PETERS 
AS  A 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

PETERS,  JEFF 

See:  Jeff  Peters 

PHILANTHROMATHEMATICS,     THE 
CHAIR  OF 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

PHILISTINE  m  BOHEMIA,  A 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

PHOEBE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

PHONOGRAPH    AND    THE   GRAFT, 
THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

PIG,  THE  ETHICS  OF 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

PIMIENTA  PANCAKES,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

PLAY,  THE  THING'S  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

PLUNKVILLE  PATRIOT,  THE 

Humorous  page  in  "The  Rolling 
Stone."  For  photographs  of  this  page 
see  Rolling  Stones 

PLUTONIAN  FIRE,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

POEMS  BY  O.  HENRY 

See:  Rolling  Stones 
Titles: 
The  Pewee 
Nothing  to  Say 
The  Murderer 
Some  Postscripts 
Two  Portraits 


A  Contribution 

The  Old  Farm 

Vanity 

The  Lullaby 

Chanson  de  B< 

Hard  to  Forget 

Drop  a  Tear  in  this  Slot 

Tamales 

POET  AND  THE  PEASANT,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

POLICEMAN  O'RooN,  THE  BADGE 
OF — 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

POLICY    OF    COMPANY    99,    THE 
FOREIGN 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

POLITICAL    INTRIGUE,    A    SUC 
CESSFUL 

See:  Tictocq  in  Rolling  Stones 

POOR  RULE,  A 

See:  Options 

PORTER     FAMILY,     RECORD     OF 
BIRTHS  AND  DEATHS 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

PORTRAITS  OF  O.  HENRY  AT  VAR 
IOUS  AGES 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

PRAGMATISM,  THE  HIGHER 

See:  Options 

PRESIDENT,  A  SNAPSHOT  AT  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

PRIDE  OF  THE  CITIES,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

PRINCE,  A  CHAPARRAL 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

PRINCESS  AND  THE  PUMA,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

PRISONER  OF  ZEMBLA,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

PROEM,  THE:  BY  THE  CARPENTER 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


61 


PROFILE,  THE  ENCHANTED 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

PROOF  OF  THE  PUDDING 

See:  Strictly  Business 

PSYCHE  AND  THE  PSKYSCRAPER 

See:  Strictly  Business 

PUDDING,  PROOF  OF  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

PULSE,  LET  ME  FEEL  YOUR 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

PUMA,  THE  PRINCESS  AND  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

PURPLE  DRESS,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 


QUANTITY,  THE  UNKNOWN 

See:  Strictly  Business 

QUERIES  AND  ANSWERS 

See:  Rolling  Stones 


RAMBLE  IN  APHASH,  A 

See:  Strictly  Business 

RANCHES,  MADAME  BO-PEEP  OF 

THE 
See:  Whirligigs 

RANSOM  OF  MACK,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

RATHSKELLER  AND  THE  ROSE,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

"READING  MATTER,  NEXT  TO" 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

RECALLS,  Two 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

RED  CHIEF,  THE  RANSOM  OF 

Set:  Whirligigs 


REFORMATION,  A  RETRIEVED 

Dramatized  as  "Alias  Jimmy  Valen 
tine" 
See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

REFORMATION  OF  CALLIOPE,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

REMNANTS  OF  THE  CODE,  THE 

Set:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

RENAISSANCE  AT  CHARLEROI,  THE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

RENEGADES,  Two 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

REPORT,  A  MUNICIPAL 

See:  Strictly  Business 

REPRODUCTIONS  OF  MANUSCRIPT 
AND  PAGES  FROM  THE  PLUNK- 
VILLE  PATRIOT  AS  PRINTED  BY 
O.  HENRY  IN  THE  ROLLING 
STONE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

RESURGENT,  THE  DAY 

See:  Strictly  Business 

RETRIEVED  REFORMATION,  A 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

RHELNSCHLOSS,  THE  HALBERDIER 
OF  THE  LITTLE 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

RILES  THE  WORLD,  THE  HAND 

THAT 
See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

ROAD,  THE  LONESOME 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

ROADS  OF  DESTINY — SHORT  STOR 
IES 

Contents: 

Roads  of  Destiny 

The  Guardian  of  the  Accolade 

The  Discounters  of  Money 

The  Enchanted  Profile 

"Next  to  Reading  Matter" 

Art  and  the  Bronco 

Phoebe 


62 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


A  Double-Dyed  Deceiver 

The  Passing  of  Black  Eagle 

A  Retrieved  Reformation 

Cherchez  la  Femme 

Friends  in  San  Rosario 

The  Fourth  in  Salvador 

The  Emancipation  of  Billy 

The  Enchanted  Kiss 

A  Departmental  Case 

The  Renaissance  at  Charleroi 

On  Behalf  of  the  Management 

Whistling    Dick's    Christmas    Stock- 

ing 
The  Halberdier  of  the  Little  Rhein- 

schloss 

Two  Renegades 
The  Lonesome  Road 

ROADS  WE  TAKE,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

ROBE  OF  PEACE,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

ROLLING  STONE,  THE — 0. 
HENRY'S  NEWSPAPER  PUB 
LISHED  IN  AUSTIN,  TEXAS 

Extracts: 

Tictocq 

Tracked  to  Doom,  or  The  Mystery 
of  the  Rue  de  Peychaud 

A  Snapshot  at  the  President 

Aristocracy  versus  Hash 

The  Prisoner  of  Zembla 

Fickle  Fortune  or  How  Gladys 
Hustled 

An  Apology 

Bexar  Script  No.  2692 

Queries  and  Answers 

All  of  the  above  will  be  found  in  the  vol 
ume  entitled  Rolling  Stones 

ROLLING  STONES  (illustrated) 

Stories  and  Sketches  and  Poems  col 
lected  from  various  magazines,  from 
"The  Rolling  Stone,"  O.  Henry's 
Texas  newspaper,  and  from  hitherto 
unpublished  manuscripts 

Contents: 

Portrait  of  O.  Henry 

O.  Henry — Poem  by  James  Whit- 
comb  Riley 

Introduction — by  H.  P.  Steger 

Records  of  Births  and  Deaths  in 
the  Porter  Family  Bible 

The  Dream— Unfinished.  The  last 
work  of  O.  Henry 

A  Ruler  of  Men 

The  Atavism  of  John  Tom  Little  Bear 

Helping  the  Other  Fellow 

The  Marionettes 


The  Marquis  and  Miss  Sally 
A  Fog  in  Santone 
The  Friendly  Call 

A  Dinner  at 

Sound  and  Fury — Dialogue 
Tictocq  (from  "The  Rolling  Stone") 
Tracked  to  Doom,  or  the  Mystery 

of  the   Rue    de  Peychaud     (from 

"The  Rolling  Stone") 
A  Snapshot  at  the  President   (Edi 
torial  in  "The  Rolling  Stone") 
An  Unfinished  Christmas  Story 
The     Unprofitable     Servant — Unfin 
ished 
Aristocracy  versus  Hash  (from  "The 

Rolling  Stone") 
The  Prisoner  of  Zembla  (from  "The 

Rolling  Stone") 
A  Strange  Story  (from  "The  Rolling 

Stone") 
Fickle     Fortune     or     How     Gladys 

Hustled      (from      "The      Rolling 

Stone") 
An    Apology    (from    "The    Rolling 

Stone") 
Lord    Oakhurst's    Curse    (sent    in    a 

letter  to  Dr.  Beall,  Greensboro,  N. 

C.  in  1883) 
Bexar  Script  No.   2692   (from  "The 

Rolling  Stone") 
Queries    and    Answers    (from    "The 

Rolling  Stone") 

Poems: 

The  Pewee 
Nothing  to  Say 
The  Murderer 
Some  Postscripts 

Two  Portraits 

A  Contribution 

The  Old  Farm 

Vanity 

The  Lullaby  Boy 

Chanson  de  Bohfeme 

Hard  to  Forget 
Drop  a  Tear  in  this  Slot 

Tamales 

Letters 

To  Mr.  Gilman  Hall  of  Everybody's 

Magazine 
To  Mrs.  Hall  of  North  Carolina,  an 

early  letter 
To  Dr.  W.  P.  Beall,  an  old  friend  in 

North  Carolina — a  humorous  letter 

about  a  play  he  has  written 
Two  more  letters  to  Dr.  Beall 
Four  Letters  to  Dave — Mr.  David 

Harrell 

Parable  Letter 

TwoLetters  toHis  Daughter  Margaret 
To    Mr.     Cosgrove    of    Everybody's 

Magazine 
To    Mr.     Gilman    Hall — about    his 

approaching  marriage  to  Miss  Sara 


O.    HENRY   INDEX 


63 


Lindsay     Coleman,     of     Asheville, 
S.  C. 

To  Colonel  Griffith 

Two  Letters  to  Mr.  Al.  Jennings  of 
Oklahoma,  who  in  his  youth  held 
up  trains 

To  Mr.  H.  P.  Steger— about  the  title 
of  one  of  his  stories 

To  Mr.  Steger — unfinished  letter 
about  a  novel  he  wanted  to  write. 

Two  letters  to  Mr.  Al.  Jennings  about 
the  material  for  "Holding  up  a 
Train"  (see  Sixes  and  Sevens) 
which  Mr.  Jennings  had  supplied 
from  personal  experience. 
Cartoons 

Original   by  O.  Henry — see  Sketches 
facing   pages    29,   48,   49,   64,    65, 
80,  81,  06,  97,  249  and  inserts  be 
tween  pages   232  and   233. 
Photographs 

Last  Photograph.   See  frontispiece 

At  the  age  of  two,  facing  page  20 

With  Three  Friends,  facing  page  21 

In  Austin,   1896,  facing  page  28 

Photographs  of  Documents  found 
in  O.  Henry's  belongings  after  his 
death 

Credentials  which  the  boy  Will 
Porter  took  to  Texas,  facing  pages 
112  and  113 

A  page  of  "The  Plunkville  Patriot," 
facing  pages  128,  1 60  and  176  and 
inserts  between  pages  248  and 
249 

Pages  of  "The  Rolling  Stone,"  facing 
pages  129,  161,  177,  232 

Manuscript  of  a  letter  to  his  daughter, 
Margaret,  facing  page  248 

ROMANCE  OF  A  BUSY  BROKER,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

ROMANCE,  ROSES,  RUSES  AND 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ROMANCE,    SUITE    HOMES    AND 
THEIR 

See:  Whirligigs 

ROOM,  THE  FURNISHED 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

ROOM,  THE  SKYLIGHT 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

RODNEY'S,  PAST  ONE  AT 

See:  Strictly  Business 

"ROSE  OF  DIXIE,  THE" 

See:  Options 


ROSE,  THE  RATHSKELLER  AND  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ROSES,  RUSES  AND  ROMANCE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

ROSES,  THE  FOUR — VERSE 

See:  Roses,  Ruses  and  Romance 

ROUGE  ET  XOIR 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

ROUNDS,  BETWEEN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

RUBAIYAT  OF  A  SCOTCH  HlGH- 
BALL,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

RUBBER,  A  COMEDY  LN 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

RUE  DE  PEYCHAUD,  THE  MYS 
TERY  OF  THE,  OR  TRACKED  TO 
DOOM 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

RULE,  A  POOR 

See:  Options 

RULER  OF  MEN,  A 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

RULING,  GEORGIA'S 

See:  Whirligigs 

RURAL  SPORTS,  MODERN 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

Rus  IN  URBE 

See:  Options 

RUSES,  ROSES — AND  ROMANCE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 
S 

SABLES,  VANITY  AND  SOME 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

SACRIFICE  HIT,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

SALVADOR,  THE  FOURTH  LN 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 


O.   HENRY   INDEX 


SAN  ROSARIO,  FRIENDS  IN 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

SANTONE,  A  FOG  IN 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

SCHOOLS  AND  SCHOOLS 

See:  Options 

SCIENCE    OF    MATRIMONY,    THE 
EXACT 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

SCOTCH  HIGHBALL,  THE  RUBAIYAT 
OF  A 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

SCRIPT  No  2692,  BEXAR 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

SEASON,  COMPLIMENTS  OF  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

SEATS  OF  THE  HAUGHTY 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

SERGE  AND  STRAW,  SOCIOLOGY  IN 

See:  Whirligigs 

SERGEANT,  THE  SONG  AND  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

SERVANT,  THE  UNPROFITABLE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

SERVES,  HE  ALSO 

See:  Options 

SERVICE  OF  LOVE,  A 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

SHAMROCK  AND  THE  PALM,  THE 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

SHAMROCK  JOLNES 

A  character  occurring  in  The  Sleuths 
and   also   in   The  Adventures  of 
Shamrock  Jolnes 
See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

SHEARING  THE  WOLF 
See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 


SHIPS 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

SHOCKS  OF  DOOM,  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

SHOES 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

SISTERS  OF  THE  GOLDEN  CIRCLE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

SIXES  AND  SEVENS — SHORT  STO 
RIES 

Contents: 

The  Last  of  the  Troubadours 

The  Sleuths 

Witches'  Loaves 

The  Pride  of  the  Cities 

Holding  Up  a  Train 

Ulysses  and  the  Dogman 

The  Champion  of  the  Weather 

Makes  the  Whole  World  Kin 

At  Arms  with  Morpheus 

The  Ghost  of  a  Chance 

Jimmie  Hayes  and  Muriel 

The  Door  of  Unrest 

The  Duplicity  of  Hargraves 

Let  Me  Feel  Your  Pulse 

October  and  June 

The  Church  with  an  Overshot 

Wheel 

New  York  by  Campfire  Light 
The  Adventures  of  Shamrock  Jolnes 
The  Lady  Higher  Up 
The  Greater  Coney 
Law  and  Order 

Transformation  of  Martin  Burney 
The  Caliph  and  the  Cad 
The  Diamond  of  Kali 
The  Day  We  Celebrate 

SKYLIGHT  ROOM,  THE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

SLEUTHS,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

SMITH 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

SNAPSHOT  AT  THE  PRESIDENT,  A 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

SOCIAL  TRIANGLE,  THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

SOCIOLOGY  IN  SERGE  AND  STRAW 

See:  Whirligigs 


0.   HENRY   INDEX 


SOLITO,  HYGEIA  AT  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

SONG  AND  THE  SERGEANT,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

SOUL,  THE  EASTER  OF  THE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

SOUND  AND  FURY — DIALOGUE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

SOUTH  AMERICA,  STORIES  OF 

See:  Locality 

SOUTH,  STORIES  OF  THE 

See:  Locality 

"SPECK  IN  GARNERED  FRUIT,  LIT 
TLE" 
See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

SPHINX  APPLE,  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

SPORTS,  MODERN  RURAL 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

SPRINGTIME  A  LA  CARTE 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

SQUARING  THE  CIRCLE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 
STEGER,  H.  P. 

Personal  friend  of  O.  Henry's  who 
edited   Rolling   Stones  and  wrote 
the  introduction  to  the  last  col 
lection  of  his  works. 
See:  Rolling  Stones 

STORY,  AN  UNFINISHED 
See:  Four  Million,  The 

STRANGE  STORY,  A 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

STRAW,  SOCIOLOGY  IN  SERGE  AND 

See:  Whirligigs 

STRICTLY    BUSINESS — S  H  o  R  T 
STORIES 

Contents: 
Strictly  Business 
The  Gold  that  Glittered 


Babes  in  the  Jungle 
The  Day  Resurgent 
The  Fifth  Wheel 
The  Poet  and  the  Peasant 
The  Robe  of  Peace 
The  Girl  and  the  Graft 
The  Call  of  the  Tame 
The  Unknown  Quantity 
The  Thing's  the  Play 
A  Ramble  in  Aphasia 
A  Municipal  Report 
Psyche  and  the  Pskyscraper 
A  Bird  of  Bagdad 
Compliments  of  the  Season 
A  Night  in  New  Arabia 
The  Girl  and  the  Habit 
Proof  of  the  Pudding 
Past  One  at  Rooney's 
The  Venturers 
The  Duel 
"What  You  Want" 

SUCCESS,  THE  ASSESSOR  OF 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

SUCCESSFUL  POLITICAL  INTRIGUE, 
A 

See:  Tictocq  in  Rolling  Stones 

SUITE   HOMES    AND  THEIR   RO 
MANCE 

See:  Whirligigs 

SUPPLY  AND  DEMAND 

See:  Options 


TAINTED  TENNER,  THE  TALE  OF  A 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

TAME,  THE  CALL  OF  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

TECHNICAL  ERROR,  A 

See:  Whirligigs 

TELEMACHUS,  FRIEND 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

TEMPERED  WIND,  A 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

TENNER,  THE  TALE  OF  A  TAINTED 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

TEXAS,  STORIES  OF 

See:  Locality,  Stories  of  the  West 


66 


O.    HENRY   INDEX 


THANKSGIVING  DAY  GENTLEMEN, 
Two 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

THEIR  LIGHTS,  ACCORDING  TO 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

THEORY  AND  THE  HOUND,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

THIMBLE,  THIMBLE 

See:  Options 

THING'S  THE  PLAY,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

THIRD  INGREDIENT,  THE 

See:  Options 

THOUSAND  DOLLARS,  ONE 

See:  Voice  of  the  City.  The 

TlCTOCQ 

Two  French  Detective  Stories 
A  Successful  Political  Intrigue 
Tracked  to  Doom 
See:  Rolling  Stones 

TILDY,  THE  BRIEF  DEBUT  OF 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

To  HIM  WHO  WAITS 

See:  Options 

TOBIN'S  PALM 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

TOMMY'S  BURGLAR 

See:  Whirligigs 

TRACKED  TO  DOOM,  OR  THE  MYS 
TERY  OF  THE  RUE  DE  PEYCHAUD 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

TRAGEDY,  A  HARLEM 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

TRAGEDY,  "THE  GUILTY  PARTY," 

— AN  EAST  SIDE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

TRAIN,  HOLDING  UP  A 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 


TBANSFORMATION     OF 
BURNEY,  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 


MARTIN 


TRANSIENTS  IN  ARCADIA 

See:  Vcice  of  the  City,  The 

TREASURE,  BUFIED 

See:  Options 

TRIANGLE,  THE  SOCIAL 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

TRIMMED    LAMP,    THE—  SHORT 
STORIES 

Contents 

The  Trimmed  Lamp 

A  Madison  Square  Arabian  Night 

The  Rubaiyat  of  a  Scotch  Highball 

The  Pendulum 

Two  Thanksgiving   Day   Gentlemen 

The  Assessor  of  Success 

The  Buyer  from  Cactus  City 

The  Badge  of  Policeman  O'Roon 

Brickdust  Row 

The  Making  of  a  New  Yorker 

Vanity  and  Some  Sables 

The  Social  Triangle 

The  Purple  Dress 

The  Foreign  Policy  of  Company  go 

The  Lost  Blend 

A  Harlem  Tragedv 

"The  Guilty  Party"—  An  East  Side 

Tragedy 

According  to  Their  Lights 
A  Midsummer  Knight's  Dream 
The  Last  Leaf 

The  Count  and  the  Wedding  Guest 
The  Country  of  Elusion 
The  Ferry  of  Unfulfilment 
The  Tale  of  a  Tainted  Tenner 
Elsie  in  New  York 

TROUBADOURS,  THE  LAST  OF  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

TWENTY  YEARS.  AFTER 

See:  Four  Million,  The 

Two  RECALLS 

See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

Two  RENEGADES 

See:  Roads  of  Destiny 

Two  THANKSGIVING   DAY  GEN 
TLEMEN 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 


O.   HENRY  INDEX 


67 


ULYSSES  AND  THE  DOGMAN 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

UNFINISHED    CHRISTMAS   STORY, 
AN 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

UNFINISHED  STORY,  AN 

See:  Four  Million,  The 


,  THE  FERRY  OF 
See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

UNKNOWN  QUANTITY,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

UNPROFITABLE  SERVANT,  THE 

See:  Rolling  Stones 

UNREST,  THE  DOOR  OP 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

URBE,  Rus  IN 

See:  Options 

V 

VALLEY    JOHNSON,    THE  INDIAN 
SUMMER  OF  DRY 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

VANITY  AND  SOME  SABLES 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 

VENTURERS,  THE 

See:  Strictly  Business 

VICTORY,  THE  MOMENT  OF 

See:  Options 

VlTAGRAPHOSCOPE,   THE 
See:  Cabbages  and  Kings 

VOICE  OF  THE  CITY,  THE—  SHORT 
STORIES 

Contents 

The  Voice  of  the  City 

The  Complete  Life  of  John  Hopkins 

A  Lickpenny  Lover 

Dougherty's  Eye-Opener 

Little  Speck  in  Garnered  Fruit" 
The  Harbinger 
While  the  Auto  Waits 
A  Comedy  in  Rubber 


One  Thousand  Dollars 

The  Defeat  of  the  City 

The  Shocks  of  Doom 

The  Plutonian  Fire 

Nemesis  and  the  Candy  Man 

Squaring  the  Circle 

Roses,  Ruses  and  Romance 

The  City  of  Dreadful  Night 

The  Easter  of  the  Soul 

The  Fool-Killer 

Transients  in  Arcadia 

The  Rathskeller  and  the  Rose 

The  Clarion  Call 

Extradited  from  Bohemia 

A  Philistine  in  Bohemia 

From  Each  According  to  His  Ability 

The  Memento 

w 

WATTS,  To  HIM  WHO 

See:  Options 

WAY,  THE  CABALLERO'S 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

WEATHER,  THE  CHAMPION  OF  THE 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

WEDDING  GUEST,  THE  COUNT  AND 
THE 

See:  Trimmed  Lamp,  The 
WEST,  HEART  OF  THE 

See:  Heart  of  the  West 

WEST,  STORIES  OF  THE 

See:  Locality 
"WHAT  You  WANT" 

See:  Strictly  Business 

WHEEL,  THE  CHURCH  WITH  AN 
OVERSHOT 
See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

WHEEL,  THE  FIFTH 

See:  Strictly  Business 

WHERE  TO  DINE  WELL 

See:  A  Dinner  at in  Rolling  Stones 

WHILE  THE  AUTO  WAITS 

See:  Voice  of  the  City,  The 

WHIRLIGIG  OF  LIFE,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 


68 


O.  HENRY  INDEX 


WHIRLIGIGS — SHORT  STORIES 

Contents: 

The  World  and  the  Door 

The  Theory  and  the  Hound 

The  Hypotheses  of  Failure 

Galloway's  Code 

A  Matter  of  Mean  Elevation 

"Girl" 

Sociology  in  Serge  and  Straw 

The  Ransom  of  Red  Chief 

The  Marry  Month  of  May 

A  Technical  Error 

Suite  Homes  and  their  Romance 

The  Whirligig  of  Life 

A  Sacrifice  Hit 

The  Roads  We  Take 

A  Blackjack  Bargainer 

The  Song  and  the  Sergeant 

One  Dollar's  Worth 

A  Newspaper  Story 

Tommy's  Burglar 

A  Chaparral  Christmas  Gift 

A  Little  Local  Color 

Georgia's  Ruling 

Blind  Man's  Holiday 

Madame  Bo-Peep  of  the  Ranches 

WHISTLING    DICK'S    CHRISTMAS 
STOCKING 
See:  Roads  of  Destiny 


WIND,  A  TEMPERED 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

WITCHES'  LOAVES 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

WOLF,  SHEARING  THE 

See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

WORLD  AND  THE  DOOR,  THE 

See:  Whirligigs 

WORLD,  MAKES  THE  WHOLE — 
KIN 

See:  Sixes  and  Sevens 

WORLD,  THE  HAND  THAT  RILES 

THE 
See:  Gentle  Grafter,  The 

Y 

YELLOW  DOG,  MEMOIRS  OF  A 

See:  Four  Million,  The 


ZEMBLA,  THE  PRISONER  OF 
See:  Rolling  Stones 


ADDENDA 

WAIFS  AND  STRAYS— Twelve  Short  Stories  and  a  Collection  of  Critical 
and  Biographical  Comment. 

[CONTENTS:    STORIES 

THE  RED  ROSE  OF  TONIA  HEARTS  AND  HANDS 

ROUND  THE  CIRCLE 
THE  RUBBER  PLANT'S  STORY 
OUT  OF  NAZARETH 
CONFESSIONS  OF  A  HUMORIST 
THE  SPARROWS  IN  MADISON  SQUARE 


THE  CACTUS 

THE  DETECTIVE  DETECTOR 
THE  DOG  AND  THE  PLAYLET 
A  LITTLE  TALK  ABOUT  MOBS 
THE  SNOW  MAN 


CRITICAL  AND  BIOGRAPHICAL  COMMENT 

LITTLE  PICTURES  OF  O.  HENRY.     By  Arthur  W.  Page 

THE  KNIGHT  IN  DISGUISE.    By  Nicholas  Vacbel  Lindsay 

THE  AMAZING  GENIUS  OF  O.  HENRY.    By  Stephen  Leacock 

O.  HENRY:    An  English  View.     By  A.  St.  John  Adcock 
THE  MISADVENTURES  IN  MUSICAL  COMEDY  OF  O.  HENRY  AND 

FRANKLIN  P.ADAMS 

O.  HENRY  IN  HIS  OWN  BAGDAD.    By  George  Jean  Nathan 
O.  HENRY— APOTHECARY.    By  Christopher  Morley 

O.  HENRY.    By  William  Lyon  Pbelps 

ABOUT  NEW  YORK  WITH  O  HENRY.    By  Arthur  B.  Maurice 

O.  HENRY  AND  NEW  ORLEANS.    By  Caroline  Francis  Richardson 

"A  YANKEE  MAUPASSANT"— A  Summary  of  the  Early  Criticism 

O.  HENRY'S  SHORT  STORIES.    By  Henry  James  Forman 

THE  O.HENRY  INDEX 


The  Books  that  O.  Henry 
Has  Written 


Cabbages  and  Kings 

The  Four  Million 
The  Gentle  Grafter 
Heart  of  the  West 

Options 
Roads  of  Destiny 

Rolling  Stones 

Sixes  and  Sevens 

Strictly  Business 

The  Trimmed  Lamp 

The  Voice  of  the  City 

Waifs  and  Strays 

Whirligigs 


IN  CLOTH  ONLY 

The  Gift  of  the  Wise  Men 
Ransom  of  Red  Chief  and  other  O.  Henry  Stories  for  Boys 


Doubleday,  Page  &  Company 
Publishers  Garden  City,  N.  Y, 


UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA  LIBRARY 
BERKELEY 

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